Under The Hood
by Xizuma
Summary: He was a mistake, an accident, and a failure. Now, back from the dead, he would show them, just what the "mistake" could do. Pairings undecided. AU! Crossover with DC.
1. Prologue

**A friend of mine asked me to do this particular story, so I thought, why not?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson. Each belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.**

 **Enjoy, Chapter 1 of**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

Billy Goat huffed as he ran through the forest, his hooves stepping on near-by twigs and leaves as he led a child through the bushes and trees, his vision limited due to the night. He glanced at the kid whose hand he was holding. The kid was young, no older than 9, and had a look of panic and fear in her stormy grey eyes, darting left and right in paranoia. "Th-They're gonna catch up with us Billy!" The little girl told the Satyr, worry evident in her tone.

Sounds of howling and growling were heard, and the Goat looked behind him. Four enormous Hellhounds chased after them, their red glowing eyes staring at him. Billy yelped and increased his pace to get more distance away from creatures. "Just keep running Lily, don't look back!" He tightened his grip on the child as they ran faster. The Satyr prayed to the Gods above that they would make it. Or, at least Lily would make it to Camp Half-Blood.

As they continued running, the Satyr eventually saw a clearing and soon, both Demi-god and Satyr emerged from the forest and into the clearing. Billy looked around frantically, his eyes finding any place for them to hide. Out of the corner of his eye, the Satyr spotted an old, abandoned house just a few distances away. Grabbing Lily's hand, the Satyr immediately ran to the house.

The house itself was run-down and old. Cobwebs found almost all around the corners of the porch, stairs leading to the porch had a missing plank and could look to be broken should any weight be placed on it. Windows were cracked and destroyed, and the stills accumulated dust over time. The wooden house's planks were chipped and rotten, showing how long the house was unoccupied. Thankfully, the door was intact so the two could enter.

* * *

Billy rushed in with Lily and closed the door. _"Di Immortales this place stinks!"_ Billy covered his nose in disgust as a putrid smell of rotting flesh (That were thankfully not Human.) entered his nostrils. The Satyr also noticed Lily noticing the smell, judging by the way her face cringing and her little nose crinkling. "This place smells funny, Billy." She said, copying the Satyr's action and covered her nose. "Ju-Just ignore it for now." Billy said, ignoring the smell, the Satyr looked around the house before spotting a closet in the broken kitchen.

A howl from the outside alerted him and he took Lily's hand and led her to the closet. "Hide in here for now." Billy instructed as more howls were heard. Lily nodded and silently climbed inside the closet and whimpered slightly. "I'm scared Billy…" The Satyr tried to give the 9 year-old his best, albeit shaky, smile as he could. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." He reassured her even as his own heart was pounding in terror. Closing the closet, the Satyr let out a startled bleat as the main entrance door broke and growls penetrated the house.

Quickly scrambling for a place to hide. The Satyr ran to the living room and ducked behind the couch big enough to cover him. He tried to calm his breathing as sounds of sniffs hit his ears. He closed his eyes tightly and covered his mouth, his knees shaking slightly. He dared not to make a sound as the sounds of sniffing were heard throughout the abandoned wooden house.

One Hellhound approached the living room and Billy stifled an unintentional bleat that escaped his mouth. The Hellhound paused its sniffing, and looked up at his direction. Billy slapped his forehead in repeatedly. _"Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!"_ The Hellhound growled and snarled, approaching the dusty couch. Billy started hyperventilating, his furry legs shuffling every now and then as the shadow creature neared him.

As the growl became louder and louder, Billy's eyes screwed shut and stifled another bleat. _"I'm going to die!"_ He thought hopelessly, his sweat trailing down his face. By now, the growl was practically next to him and the Satyr prayed for someone to save him.

For once, his prayers were answered.

Metallic whizzing was heard, before an object hit the Hellhound in the head, sending the creature down with a thud. Sounds of Footsteps approached the downed Hellhound. Billy peeked from his hiding place.

Due to the limited light that entered through the window, all the Satyr saw was two black combat boots and navy blue pants. The figure crouched down, his back facing the Satyr, and Billy saw he was wearing dark brown jacket with the collars popped out and a crimson red spiral symbol stitched to the back, followed by two grey gauntlets covering his forearms and elbows.

The Satyr watched as the figure took out what looked to be a sleek, black knife and brought it over his head, and swiftly brought it down, ending the Hellhound's life. The creature whimpered and whined, before dissolving into golden dust, a black, small pelt of fur remained. Billy stayed silent, as the figure stood up.

A small, metallic, three-pointed star landed near him and Billy yelped in surprise.

"Last warning." The figure's voice growled, though Billy noted it seemed muffled. "Come out."

Immediately the Satyr rushed out of the dusty couch and placed his hands up in surrender. "Don't kill me! I'm a Satyr!" Billy frantically whispered.

A gloved hand clamped his mouth as to avoid attracting attention and the figure fully came to view. He was a few inches smaller than him, if Billy would have guessed, 5'9. His savior was wearing a red helmet with two black angular lenses acting as eyes, and grey mechanical panels on the sides of his helmet. Lines were connected to the corners of his eye lenses which led all the way to the back of his helmet and mouth.

Underneath his brown jacket was navy blue jumpsuit zipped all the way up, and a grey turtle neck. Two chest plates covered either side of his pectorals and a grey belt covered his waist. On his legs was a grey harness with two pouches that the Satyr guessed kept the helmeted figure's weapons such as the black knife and three-pointed stars.

"Pipe it down!" The figure shushed him, pointing at the kitchen were the remaining Hellhounds were. Billy's eyes widened in terror and removed the figure's hand from his mouth. "Lily! She's in there with those Hellhounds!" He panicked, bleats coming out from his mouth.

Quickly the helmeted figure clamped the Satyr's mouth again. "Quiet! You trying to get us killed?" His savior hissed at him, to which Billy shook his head rapidly. "Good." The figure removed his hand from the Satyr, "Now, were you talking about the kid you were with?" He questioned him. Billy nodded and the figure turned to look at the sniffing Hellhounds.

"Where is she?"

The Satyr pointed a shaky finger towards a brown, dusty closet in the kitchen. The figure stayed silent for a minute before he spoke again, "I have a plan. I'll take out two of those Hellhounds, you distract the third one, while I get the kid out of there." Billy paled when he heard the last one. "Wait a sec, I'm gonna be b-bait!" He stammered with fear.

He did not like this plan.

Not one bit.

"Quit squirming, it'll only be a second." The figure ordered him. With that said, the figure couched and silently sneaked towards the kitchen. Leaning against the wall, the figure waited as a Hellhound sniffed along the ground and stopped just beside the helmeted figure. Quickly grabbing its muzzle, the creature struggled and whined, but was silenced by a knife to the neck. The figure drove his knife further in the Hellhound's neck before twisting it. The creature whimpered but eventually dissolved into golden dust.

Peeking from his cover, the figure watched the two remaining Hellhounds inspecting the broken kitchen, searching every corner of the room. The figure turned to look at Billy and held up his hand, three fingers raised. The Satyr noticed this and nodded, calming himself.

3…

2…

1…

"HEY UGLIES!" Billy shouted, his voice echoing off the house.

The two Hellhounds snapped their heads towards the Satyr and growled, slowly approaching the half-human half-goat. Billy placed both of his hands on each leg with a smirk. "Want a meal? Well here's one, juicy, goat meat!" The Satyr offered. Though, inwardly Billy was screaming in the inside. _"DI IMMORTALES! WHY IN HADES DID I AGREE TO THIS!?"_

One Hellhound grew impatient and rushed at its prey, never noticing the other Hellhound getting stabbed then dissolving into dust. All of Billy's bravado disappeared and he screamed. As soon as the Hellhound leaped at him, the familiar sound of metal whizzing hit the Satyr's sensitive ears, and the creature was imbedded to a wall, one metal shuriken stuck on its head.

Billy slowly opened his eyes and sighed in relief and sent his savior a thankful look. "Thank you."

The helmeted figure merely grunted. "Don't mention it."

The Satyr approached the closet and opened it. Inside, Lily was shaking, she opened her grey eyes now red and puffy. Seeing the Satyr, Lily was immediately filled with relief and happiness and the 9 year-old launched herself to the Satyr. "Billy!" She cried out happily, hugging him tightly. Billy chuckled as he set the little girl down.

Lily smiled at the Satyr, and turned around, as soon as she saw the helmeted figure across from them the girl hid behind Billy's legs and let out a whimper. Billy saw this and his eyes softened, "Woah, now" He started. "Don't worry Liliy, he's a friend, trust me." Even as he assured her, Lily didn't budge and continued to hide behind the Satyr.

The figure sighed and approached the two. Billy stepped aside as the figure knelt down in front of the girl. "It's okay, I'm not a monster." The figure said, Lily glared at him, puffing her cheeks as she did, though it only made her look cuter to the Billy. "How would I know that? You didn't even show us your face!" She accused, pointing a finger. The figure looked at Billy who shrugged with a small smile on his face.

The Satyr's savior sighed and grumbled under his breath. Grabbing his red helmet/visor by the sides, he slowly lifted the red helmet, a hiss was heard as he removed his helmet. The figure's face was young, if Billy had to guess again, he looked to be 13, just 4 years older than Lily. He had a tan face, his hair was blonde, untamed and spikey. He had blue eyes and three scars on each side of his face.

The blonde smiled at Lily. "See? I'm not a monst-!" A roar was heard outside and the blonde and Satyr snapped their heads towards the entrance. "More Hellhounds found us…" Billy whispered. The blonde growled, putting his helmet/visor on, he turned to the panicking Satyr. "Stay with the kid." The blonde instructed before glaring at the entrance. "I'll handle this."

Stepping outside the abandoned house. The blonde was greeted by five more Hellhounds, each snarling at him. Taking a Kunai from his pouch, the blonde immediately rushed to the nearest Hellhound. The creature growled and leaped at him, the blonde ducked and stabbed its underbelly as it stayed in air. Kicking the dissolving creature, the helmeted blonde quickly chucked a shuriken which hit another Hellhound in the face.

Running to another Hellhound, he tackled said creature and pinned the Hellhound. The creature beneath him snarled and barked, desperately struggling to break free. Hearing another growl from behind, the blonde waited for a moment before dodging to the left. Watching as the Hellhound from behind bite the pinned Hellhound's exposed throat.

As the Hellhound finished feasting on its kin, the blonde drove Kunai on the side of its head. The blonde twisted the knife as another Hellhound ran at him. He chucked the Kunai towards the rushing Hellhound while the stabbed Hellhound dissolved, hitting the last one right between the eyes.

The blonde sighed and rolled his shoulders, taking the black Kunai from the last Hellhound. "Damn mutts..." He muttered in annoyance.

"That was so cool!"

"Eh?"

The blonde turned around and saw Billy and Lily walking towards him, running in Lily's case. The little Demigod soon stopped in front of him and the blonde was assaulted by a barrage of questions by the little girl. "Where did you learn to do that? Were you taught by someone, or was it self-taught? How did you get you're weapons? Did you make them?" The blonde was stunned to say the least as the grey eyed girl interrogated him. Billy put a hand on the little girl's shoulder, a smile on his face. "I think he may needs rest for a bit, Lily." He stated, before looking at the blonde with a sheepish smile on his face. "Sorry about that." He apologized on the little girl's behalf.

The blonde shrugged in response. "Eh, it's fine. I'm used to it." He waved the apology off, looking at the sky, more howls were heard.

Not a good sign.

"I suggest you two camp here for at least tonight, too dangerous around these times." The blonde advised to which the Satyr agreed.

* * *

The next morning, at the crack of dawn. Billy stood outside the decrepit house, waiting for Lily to get ready. The Satyr leaned against the porch, his hand placed atop the rotting wood and he turned to the unmasked blonde next to him. "You… know, I never actually got your name last night." He said, causing the blonde to look at the Satyr. After a few moments of thinking the blonde spoke, "Naruto, my name's Naruto." Naruto stated. The Satyr looked at the blonde with curiosity in his eyes. "Naruto? As in, fishcake?" He snickered, to which Naruto glared at the Satyr. "It means Maelstrom, damn it!" He corrected the Satyr sternly.

"I'm ready to go Billy!" Lily's voice rang out as she stepped out the house. The Satyr nodded, and glanced at Naruto. "You coming with us too? I mean, by your scent I could already tell you're a Demigod, so how about come with us to Camp?" Billy offered to the 13 year-old. Though it went unnoticed to the Satyr, for the briefest moments, the blonde had a look of conflict on his face.

Memories started rushing to him.

The image of a girl in punk like clothing.

Followed by an image of a boy with short, sandy blonde hair.

Then a little girl with stormy grey eyes and curly blonde hair.

Another memory flashed.

 _"Thalia and I will hold it back! Luke, get Annabeth out of here!"_

 _"What do you think you're doing Naru? You can't!"_

 _"Just Go Luke! We'll hold them off!"_

His hand slowly turned into a fist.

 _"You'll promise you and Thalia will come back… right?"_

 _"It's a promise of a lifetime Annie!"_

"Yo! Naruto, you okay man?" The Satyr called out. Naruto flinched and snapped out of his musings. "Huh?" The blonde responded. Billy held a look of concern on his face. "I asked if you wanted to come with us to Camp Half-Blood, a sanctuary and home for Demigods."

Naruto looked up. "Camp… huh." He repeated. The blonde stayed quiet before he smirked and put on his helmet/visor. "Sure, count me in -Ttebayo."

The Satyr grinned in return. "C'mon then, let's go!" Grasping Lily's hand, the three started walking. Underneath his red mask, a small smile started to form on the blonde boy's lips.

 _Luke, Annabeth… I'm coming back._

* * *

 **So... This is a thing now.**

 **I'm guessing some of you know who I based this Naruto on.**

 **As of now, pairings are undecided, you could suggest one of your own if you want.**

 **Naruto's Godly parent won't be revealed yet, but you're welcome to try and guess.**

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions. Write anything really.**

 **If you're here to flame or just bad mouth me in general... Do it. Won't really matter, but if want to sure.**

 **See ya.**


	2. Back to Camp

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson. Each belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.**

 **Enjoy, Chapter 2 of**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

Shortly after they left the abandoned and rotten house. Billy and Lily, now accompanied by Naruto resumed their way to Camp Half-Blood. Soon, the trio arrived in the southeastern part of New York. By the time they did reach the and the southeastern part of New York, it was already evening, so the three decided to rest at a nearby forest. From what Billy told them, they would be nearing Camp Half-Blood.

Naruto yawned as stretched. Taking his brown leather jacket off, the blonde removed his red helmet and placed them aside on a tree stump. He glanced at the Satyr with them as he made a makeshift bed using leafs and sticks for Lily. Said Demigod rubbed her eyes tiredly and sat down near the bonfire in the middle, holding her hands out for warmth. They were all tired, having to travel without rest all day could do that to you. Lily soon stood up and walked towards her makeshift bed and lied down. "Naru?" The blonde turned to his head and looked at the sleepy girl.

"Hm?"

"Can you tell me a bedtime story?" Lily asked as she shifted in her makeshift bed. Her grey eyes staring at him. Naruto was caught in surprise. "Oh, uh, sure." He answered uneasily, fighting was one thing, but the blonde didn't knew jack on how to deal with these kind of situations. Stepping away from the tree trunk he was leaning against, he sat down next to the little girl. " So, once upon a time," The blonde started. "There were four adventurers. One girl with a shield and spear, one boy with a sword, another girl with a dagger, and lastly, one boy with a knife called a "Kunai"." Lily looked confused at the last word. "Ku.. nai?" She rolled the word around her tongue, trying to get used to the peculiar word. Naruto nodded, "Yeah, a Kunai." The blonde took said knife out of his pouch.

"Like yours?"

Naruto grinned a bit and nodded, "Yup!" He answered. Holstering the Kunai, the blonde continued. "Anyway, the girl with the spear was brave, strong, and caring. The boy with the sword was selfless, and heroic. The girl with the dagger was smart, caring, and loyal," As Naruto described the adventurers, a small nostalgic smile crept on his face. "And lastly, the boy with the Kunai was hot-headed, stubborn, but brave. He was also really cool too -Ttebayo!" The blonde grinned, to which Lily giggled at his antics. "The four adventurers went around the world, protecting and caring for each other in need. They were happy, and their bond was strong. They were like one happy family." There was a hint of something else in Naruto's tone as he told the story, though it went unnoticed by Lily.

"The four adventurers were in a quest, and they were trapped by monsters. They fought with all they got, but in the end they got underwhelmed. The girl with the spear sacrificed herself so that the three adventurers could live."

"What happened next?"

A small, sad smile replaced Naruto's nostalgic one. "After the girl's sacrifice, the three adventurers honor her name by watching each other's backs, and staying by each other's sides at all time." The blonde glanced at the little girl. Lily yawned cutely, and soon, sleep overtook her and she slept with a small smile on her face. Naruto smiled softly at the sight, grabbing his leather jacket, the blonde gently draped it over the little girl, acting as a form of blanket.

Scooting to the side, Naruto shoved a hand in a pocket in his navy blue jumpsuit. The blonde soon retracted his hand which now held three old, worn photos.

The photo depicted a sandy blonde boy wearing a ragged, makeshift leather armor over a t-shirt, sitting next to a black haired girl wearing punk-like clothing. Next to the girl was a small girl with blonde curls and grey eyes. Besides the grey eyed girl, was a younger Naruto wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. All looked happy and content, as if there were no problems in the world.

Naruto shifted his hand and looked at the next photo. The next one showed him holding a steaming bowl of Ramen with a mega-watt grin on his face. The last photo showed both him and the blonde haired girl with curls from the first photo. They were both sleeping a bit of drool escaping his lips, leaning against a wall while the girl's head was resting on the crook of his neck.

The blonde's eyes slowly watered, and soon, a tear escaped his eye. The tear travelled down his cheek and hit the last photo, more teardrops appeared on the photos as Naruto stared at the photos.

" _Am I crying?"_ The blonde blinked, and furiously wiped the tears away. Pocketing the photos, Naruto sighed and looked up at the sky. He watched as the clouds moved and twisted. _"The stars are pretty tonight"_ He absentmindedly thought.

Gazing at the sky almost always seemed to calm him down.

He sighed once more, and rested his head against a fallen tree trunk. _"I need to get some sleep."_ With that thought in mind, Naruto closed his eyes and tried to rest.

" _Are you watching over us… Thalia?"_

* * *

Naruto shot up from the tree trunk he was leaning against, his tan skin covered in sweat and he was breathing heavily. He wiped the sweat from his face and grunted. He stood up and made sure to check on Lily and Billy. He glanced to his side, Lily was sleeping soundly, her little body covered by his jacket, by her smile, she looked to sleep well. He tore his gaze from the girl and looked at the Satyr across from him. Billy snored away from his makeshift bed, often mumbling and tossing.

He rubbed his face with a gloved hand, something he would often do to calm his nerves.

His often had nightmares, one of the reasons he may or may not be an insomniac. Though this nightmare in particular unnerved him greatly, and that was saying something. After everything he had been through, things he had seen, he was immune to most things.

A scream rang out, and the blonde snapped his head to the side.

The hell?

Naruto rushed to Billy and shook him awake. The Satyr snorted and opened his eyes, "Naruto? What are yo-"

"No time, we have to get out of here!" The blonde interrupted the Satyr with a rushed voice. "Hurry up, I'll wake up Lily." Billy nodded as Naruto moved and shook Lily gently. The girl yawned and blinked several times. "Naru?" She said when she caught sight of the blonde. Naruto looked apologetic, taking his leather jacket and putting his red helmet on. "No time to explain, we need to move." He urgently replied.

The sound of something crashing was heard, quickly followed by a roar.

The trio immediately left their resting spot and headed towards the direction of the sound. As soon as they reached the origin of the sound, Naruto froze at the sight in front of him, Lily and Billy stopping when the blonde did.

A Minotaur.

The blonde crouched, forcing both of his companions to do the same, as to not to alert the monster. Billy paled once he saw the raging beast. Bleats and whimpers escaped his mouth as he shook. Naruto ignored the Satyr and squinted his eyes when he saw three figures getting out off a car that-what Naruto assumed-the Minotaur flipped.

One figure however, caught his eye and he almost shouted right then and there.

" _Grover?!"_

True to his eyes, before him, was Grover Underwood, a Satyr that tried to escort him to Camp Half-Blood years ago. Beside the Satyr was a black haired, green eyed boy who looked to be the same age as him. Both ran towards a pine tree in panic, as the Minotaur searched for something in the crashed car. Naruto's eyes widened when a woman that resembled the black haired boy, was forcefully grabbed by the Minotaur.

" _Save her!"_

The helmeted blonde ran from his hiding spot, ignoring Billy's cry. It was too late, Naruto watched, frozen, as the woman dissolved into golden dust. The blonde snarled and charged at the Minotaur.

"DAMN YOU!"

Taking out three shurikens, Naruto threw the three pointed star towards the Half-man Half-bull. The Minotaur brought its arm to block the projectiles, roaring as it did. The Man-bull in turn charged at the blonde, unknowingly dodging the black haired boy that attempted to charge at him.

The Minotaur growled and tried to impale the blonde using its horns, Naruto dodged to the left and grabbed its horn at the side. Using the horn, the blonde flipped and landed on the Minotaur's back, he quickly took out a Kunai and drove it between the Man-bull's shoulder blades. The Minotaur roared in pain, attempting to reach the blonde only for him to jump from his back.

Naruto landed on the ground softly and charged at the bull once again, only for the black haired boy from before beat him to it, and ran at the Minotaur. The Man-bull roared and backhanded the boy, the black haired boy ducked and attempted to punch the monster. The Minotaur blocked the boy's attack and kicked him, sending the boy crashing next to the blonde.

The green eyed boy groaned, standing up the boy started to charge again, only to be stopped by an outstretched hand. "Here." The owner of the appendage offered. The black haired boy looked at the helmet wearing stranger, then looked at his hand. On the stranger's hand was a sleek and black knife. "You're gonna need it." The boy looked at it, before shaking his head, confusing the blonde.

The black haired boy took out a pen from his pocket and uncapped it, unleashing a bronze, leaf shaped sword. The green eyed boy soon charged at the Minotaur once again. The red helmeted blonde shrugged before joining the black haired boy. He swung at the Minotaur only to be blocked, the Man-bull snarled and attempted to grab the boy. The green eyed boy quickly rolled away and thrusted his sword, albeit sloppily, the Minotaur easily dodged the attack and successfully grabbed the boy. Using its superhuman strength, the Minotaur roared and threw the boy like a ragdoll with ease.

Grover let out a cry of "Percy!" and came to the boy's side, checking the boy over.

Naruto glanced at the Satyr and now unconscious Percy before turning back at the Minotaur. It snarled, air escaping its nostrils and charged at him. Naruto smirked from behind his mask and outstretched both of his arms, like he was holding a cape. "Ole!" The blonde taunted, angering the monster more.

Just as the Minotaur came in contact, Naruto grabbed its head and jumped over it, kicking the monster while he did. Grabbing another handful of shurikens, he launched them at the Minotaur. The metallic throwing stars whizzed and hit their target. The beast roared again and rounded on the blonde (who was still in mid-air) and charged.

Grabbing the blonde's leg the Minotaur slammed the helmet wearing blonde on the ground repeatedly, then throwing the blonde at a tree. Naruto groaned as he slid down the trunk. He saw the Minotaur coming once again and stood up, albeit, shakily. Holding his Kunai in a reverse grip, the blonde waited with baited breath as the beast neared again. The blonde ducked when the Man-bull tried to grab him again and uppercutted it. The Minotaur backed away, startled, Naruto quickly took the advantage and drove his Kunai in the beast's exposed throat.

Naruto gritted his teeth and forced the knife some more, twisting it for good measure. Removing the Kunai from its throat, the Minotaur staggered back, holding its throat. Wasting no time, Naruto stabbed the monster on the chest, retracting his small blade, and stabbing it again. After a few more stabs, the Minotaur roared and dissolved into dust, a horn in its place acting as a reward.

Naruto panted and walked towards the Satyr tending to the black haired boy. Grover looked up when the sounds of footsteps hit his ears, gently setting the unconscious Percy down he thanked him profusely. "Thank you! I can't express how we would have been dead if you hadn't…" Whatever Grover was saying, Naruto didn't hear as he faded in and out of consciousness. Soon the blonde promptly passed out and fell on Grover who caught him. "Woah! You alright?"

Footsteps were heard again and the Satyr looked to the side and saw another Satyr holding a little girl with grey eyes running towards him.

"Naruto!" The Satyr shouted worriedly.

" _Wait… Naruto!?"_ Grover snapped his head to the knocked out male. Setting him down next to Percy, the Satyr took a hold of the red helmet and gently removed it.

A familiar mop of blonde, spikey hair and whiskered marks met the Satyr.

"Naruto!" Grover cried out happily as he held onto the blonde, "It really is you!"

The Satyr from before reached Grover and sent him a curious look. "You know him?" He asked.

Grover quickly hoisted Naruto up and looked at his fellow Satyr. "Yeah, I'll explain later. Grab Percy over there and let's get back to Camp." The Satyr jerked his head towards the black haired boy.

Billy nodded, removing his hand from Lily, he also took the unconscious boy and lifted him. "C'mon Lily." The little girl nodded eagerly and followed the two Satyrs to Camp.

* * *

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions. Write anything really.**

 **If you're here to flame or just bad mouth me in general... Do it. Won't really matter, but if want to sure.**

 **See ya.**


	3. Reunion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The PJO series. Both franchises are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.**

 **Enjoy, Chapter 3 of**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

" _-id!"_

 _What?_

" _Kid!"_

 _The voice became clearer as the 7 year old blonde shifted in his sleep._

" _KID!"_

" _Gah!"_

 _The blonde fully awoke and shot up from where he was sleeping. His blue eyes scanning his surroundings in panic. It was daytime, early morning if had to guess. He was in a forest, covered by a sleeping bed too big for him. In the middle was a extinguished campfire, at the side, sitting on a log, was a man with spiked, grey hair that reached down to his waist and was tied back into a pony tail, two red lines going down on each corner of his eyes._

 _The grey haired man's eyes lit up when he saw the blonde awake. "Finally! Been trying to wake you for the whole morning!" He grinned at him, Naruto blinked, before looking at the man. "Wh-where am I?" The small blonde asked until he stood up in panic. "Where's Thalia! Luke, Annabeth! I need to find them!" He cried out, his eyes darting left to right._

 _The man next to the campfire raised his hands up. "Woah, Kid, calm down! Geez…" He sighed, "Take a deep breath, and ask slowly." The older man ordered. Naruto did as he was told and inhaled, before exhaling. "Who are you?" The small blonde asked. Naruto took note on how the man seemed to grin when he asked this, instantly the grey haired man stood up from his log and jumped to another log beside and struck a dramatic pose. "Who am I? I am the great Jiraiya! One of the best fighters you'll ever see!" Jiraiya bragged as he did another pose. "Also known as the Toad Hermit!"_

 _Naruto just blankly stared at him as Jiraiya jumped down and rummaged through a bag near him before taking out a small orange book. "I'm sure heard of me?" He said, grinning as he held the book. Naruto widened his eyes at the sight of the small book and pointed at it. "That's…" While he hadn't really read what was inside it, he once saw Luke reading a copy of the book before it was thrown away by an angry Thalia. Even he didn't had to guess what was the contents judging by the cover itself._

" _You're a pervert!" The small child shouted. Jiraiya seemed to take offense to Naruto's accusation and glared at him. "You fool! I am no ordinary pervert…" He paused. "I'm a SUPER PERVERT!" Jiraiya declared with pride._

" _That's even worse!"_

 _Jiraiya scoffed and grumbled as he placed the book back in his bag. "Hmph, how could a kid like you understand literature! Youngsters these days…" He mumbled. Jiraiya cleared his throat and turned to Naruto again. "Anyway… What else are you going to ask?" Naruto looked around and his shoulders slumped. "Where did you find me?" At the blonde's question, Jiraiya turned serious. "Long island, at a hill. You were surrounded by a bear. I managed to fend it off and took you here." Jiraiya told the boy and crossed his arms. "The hell were you doing there kid? Where were your parents?" The man asked. At the mention of parents, Naruto looked down and clenched his fists. "I don't have any. I'm an orphan."_

 _Jiraiya look softened and frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know." He apologized. Naruto sighed. "Was… Was there anyone with me?" He asked softly. Jiraiya shook his head. "No. From what I saw, you were alone. Why?" Naruto's sighed in relief at the man's answer. He at least hoped Grover managed to escort Annabeth and Luke safely to Camp. "Nothing." The blonde said, but Jiraiya didn't buy it. "Does this concern Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth?" He questioned. Immediately Naruto took a fighting stance and glared at the man. "How do you know those names!" The boy demanded, Jiraiya raised a brow at the kid's stance and shook his head. The kid's stance was not bad… for someone his age, from what Jiraiya could see, his footing was all wrong and could trip at any moment, but overall not bad for a brat his age._

" _You keep on muttering those names when you slept." The older man said, before looking up to the sky and sighed. "Look, brat," Naruto scowled at the nickname. "How about we continue this when we have our stomachs full. How's Ramen sound to you?" Jiraiya offered and Naruto could not help but agree._

 _Ramen sounded good right now._

* * *

As Grover carried Naruto, the blonde's red helmet in his other hand, running towards a large house. He glanced at the boy behind his back who was drifting in and out of consciousness. _"Don't worry bud. We'll patch you and Percy up."_

Naruto struggled to stay conscious as they neared the house. Everything was blurry, and he couldn't see clearly. All faded to black again and the blonde fought to stay awake. Both neared the house and Naruto could make out two figures on the house porch. One of the figures was that of a man with thinning brown hair and bushy eyebrows who looked to be in his mid 40's to 50's. His upper body was normal, while his lower was that of a horse. The next figure was a girl who looked to be the same age as him.

All he could see before he truly succumbed to unconsciousness, was a familiar pair of grey eyes and curly blonde hair and a look of shock mixed with happiness on her face.

* * *

 _Howls filled the air as five Hellhounds stalked an alleyway in Richmond. The creatures growled, permanent snarls on their faces as they sniffed along the narrow way. On the far end of the alleyway, behind a dumpster. 7 year old Naruto held a small knife to his chest as he tried to calm himself down, as to not catch the attention from the hounds he was hiding from._

 _He didn't know why he, some no named orphan living in the streets had been chased around Richmond by these creatures. But he didn't care, all he wanted to do now was to survive._

 _The boy stifled his breath as one creature got too close for comfort. Naruto closed his eyes as he tried to calm his beating heart. Before he knew it, the sound of something sharp hit one of the hounds he couldn't see from his hiding place, and the hellhound that almost caught him ran to the attacker._

 _Sounds of fighting was what the boy could hear. Naruto took a risk and peeked at the ongoing fight._

 _He saw a black haired girl with a spear and one shield that looked older than him strike at one Hellhound while an older sandy blonde boy slashed at another. In the middle of the two was a blonde girl that was the same age as him, standing with a bronze dagger in her hand as she helped the two._

 _Naruto watched in amazement as his three saviors fought off the five Hellhounds. However, just as the blonde girl killed one Hellhound, another tackled her to the ground, making her drop the dagger in the process. "ANNIE!" The black haired girl screamed as she fended off one Hellhound. The sandy blonde boy from earlier too busy with another Hellhound._

 _The whiskered blonde watched in horror as the creature snapped its jaws at the frightened girl. He gripped his knife tightly before deciding enough was enough, and charged at the creature with a roar._

" _LEAVE HER ALONE!"_

 _Both Thalia and Luke stared in shock as a whiskered, 8 year old blonde kid dashed from a dumpster with a knife in his hands, running to Annie. They watched as the boy successfully killed the creature with a powerful thrust to the neck. Thalia turned her head back the Hellhound currently trying to chew her face off with a growl and bashed it with her shield. Before the creature could get up, the daughter of Zeus quickly impaled it without mercy. Luke sighed in relief as he felt his sword pierce the Hellhound's gut before kicking it off it._

 _Meanwhile Naruto grunted and placed a foot on the Hellhound's body and forcefully kicked it away from him, watching in fascination as its body dissolved to dust. He looked down at the girl he just saved before offering a hand. Said girl accepted the offered appendage and thanked her savior._

" _Annie!"_

 _Annabeth looked at Thalia and Luke as they rushed to her. As soon as they reached her, Thalia enveloped the little girl in a hug, "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?" When Annabeth was done answering Thalia's questions, the little girl looked at the whiskered blonde talking to Luke._

" _Hey…" She called out meekly, Naruto stopped talking to Luke and turned to Annabeth. "Wh-what's your name? M-my names Annabeth." She introduced herself shyly. The blonde boy grinned, his whisker marks stretching as he did._

" _I'm Naruto -Ttebayo!"_

* * *

Naruto's eyes fluttered open and he groaned, he opened his eyes slowly and blinked at the natural lighting in the room that came from a window. He grunted and rubbed his face tiredly.

"You have some nerve…"

The blonde blinked when he heard a feminine voice. Naruto turned to the side and widened his eyes at the girl before him.

"An-Annie!?"

Indeed it was the girl he hadn't seen for years. Annabeth's natural curly blonde hair had grown, making her look like a princess were it not for the clothes she wore and her tan skin. Her stormy grey eyes were red and puffy as she glared at him fiercely. Annabeth let out a 'tsk' as she continued. "Six years…" She started, "Six years Luke and I believed you were dead. SIX years I mourned for you. And then you had the gall to show up out of nowhere!" She snapped and punched him, though weak enough to not really hurt. Annabeth sniffed as she let her fist stay where it is. "You idiot…"

Naruto gently wrapped an arm around her and pulled the girl into a hug. Annabeth didn't seem to mind, standing still as the other blonde hugged her. "... Remember, back when we were kids, you would remember a lot of things. Facts about buildings, monuments, and things about architecture?" He smiled at the memories, before looking down at Annabeth. "Me, I only remember what's important…" The whiskered blonde hugged Annabeth tighter.

"... Like the day I met you, Wise Girl."

Annabeth flushed red and groaned as she snuggled deeper, hiding her face. "Oh Gods. Naruto."

Said blonde only chuckled.

The two stayed like that for a while in silence, just enjoying each other's company. Finally reunited after so many years…

Until an awkward cough was heard from the side of the room.

* * *

Percy Jackson slowly opened his eyes, and blinked warily. _"Where am I?"_ He thought, a bit dazed.

The last thing he remembered was him trying to save his mom, and fought a Minotaur! A freaking Minotaur! A Greek Mythological monster! During the fight, some guy in a red helmet helped him out, but he (Percy) got knocked out.

He looked at the window beside him. Outside, Percy saw trees and green hills for miles. People his age and older going about daily, doing whatever people did in here. He blinked when he saw a dude who was half-man and half-goat conversing with a girl who's skin was green! before he sighed tiredly. _"This can't be real."_ Percy thought in denial, tearing his gaze from the window, he looked at the other side of the room.

He wished he hadn't.

In another bed, was the same guy who helped him with Minotaur, only that his helmet was gone, along with his leather jacket, leaving him with his navy blue jumpsuit. He watched as a blonde girl with an orange shirt and blue jeans talk to the whiskered blonde. Percy blushed in embarrassment when he saw the admittedly touching moment as both blondes hugged each other affectionately, the blonde girl from what he could see even snuggling up to the boy.

Both looked happy and content.

Percy groaned within his mind. _"I feel like a third-wheel."_

He coughed to get their attention, as to not make this situation even more embarrassing.

As soon as both heard a cough, a sign that someone else was in the room (And possibly saw their entire exchange), both Naruto and Annabeth pulled away from each other and flushed red. Annabeth let go of Naruto with a blush on her face. She walked toward's Percy's bed and bluntly said, "You drool in your sleep." Soon after, the girl proceeded to grill the black haired boy for questions about his fight with the Minotaur.

The whiskered blonde could only sweat drop as he watched Annabeth interrogating the poor boy. After questioning Percy, the daughter of Athena handed the boys two tall glasses. The beverages were a sort of a yellow and brown mix, almost looking like apple juice. "Drink this." Both bedridden boys took the beverages eagerly and gulped it down. Percy blinked, and looked at the drink he was holding. "This taste just like mom's homemade chocolate-chip cookies…" He muttered before drinking the serving some more.

Naruto drank about half of his drink and sighed in bliss. "It tastes like Ramen…" He said before finishing his serving rather quickly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes when she heard what the whiskered boy said. "Of course it's Ramen." She said dryly. Since they were young, the girl would always remember the blonde boy to be obsessed with the Japanese dish, even if they were on the run from various monsters.

Looks like somethings hadn't changed.

Naruto grinned at the girl, "You know it!" Setting the empty glass on the table, the blonde got off his bed and stretched. He saw his leather jacket neatly folded, along with his red "Hood" and pouches on a nearby table. Putting on his jacket, Naruto securely tied his pouches on his legs before kicking to make sure they were not loose and held his "Hood" between his arm and waist.

"Naru!" Said blonde turned and was greeted by the sight of Grover entering the room. "Groves!" Naruto greeted back happily as the hugged each other back. "I'm glad you're okay! Had me worried there for a second!" Grover grinned at the blonde. "You know me Groves! Not that easy to kill!" Naruto boasted proudly. Grover turned to Percy who shifted awkwardly as the other two conversed. A look of realization dawned on the Satyr's face before he turned his body to the side in order of the green eyed boy to face the blonde. "Oh, Percy! Almost forgot!" He cleared his throat and introduced the two. "Percy, meet Naruto, the guy who saved our butts back there." Naruto grinned and offered his hand to the boy. "Hey there." Percy smiled a bit and shook the blonde boy's hand.

Naruto then looked at Grover. "So, I'm guessing we made it to Camp, huh?" He guessed with a smile. Grover nodded and wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders. "Yup. And if you ask me, it was a long time coming." The Satyr said before he smirked and looked at the grey eyed girl. "Annie's been missing you." He teased lightly and laughed when the girl's cheeks turned pink. "Shu-Shut it Grover!" She quickly shushed the Satyr in embarrassment.

Percy looked around the room, confused. "Where exactly are we in Camp?" He asked.

Annabeth answered. "This is the Infirmary. Located in the Big House." She walked towards the entrance and opened it. "Grover and I will show you around Camp."

The four exited the Infirmary and stepped outside, walking out onto the porch. Both Naruto and Percy were awed by the sight before them, to put in words, the two would describe it to be peaceful and serene. Satyrs hung around the grounds, lazing about and conversing with other children their age or older. To the side, a strawberry field occupied the space as the fruits grew healthily.

It was breathtaking.

Chairs, tables, and lounge chairs were spread around the porch, few other Demi-gods occupying the furnitures.

The daughter of Athena and the Satyr led both Naruto and Percy around the opposite of the house.

Both could see small cabins that looked like ancient Greek architecture, an amphitheater, an arena that also looked to be Greek. A distance away, Naruto and Percy could see a lush forest surrounding a part of the Camp. Dozens of kids, all wearing the same orange T-shirts varying of age littered around the Camp, some playing volleyball, others were canoeing on a nearby lake, and more kids were in an archery range. Percy took an interest when he saw other kids riding horses down a trail. They also seemed to be at the edge of Long Island, seeing as both could see a shore with water rolling in waves from the Big House.

At the end of the porch, the half-man half-horse Naruto saw back when he was being carried by Grover, sat across from another man who was short and chubby. The man had a red nose, big watery, blue eyes and curly black to purple-ish hair. He wore a tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt and purple running shoes that Naruto could see underneath the table.

"That's Mr. D." Grover murmured to Naruto and Percy. "He's the camp director. Be polite." He warned them, Grover then pointed to the man whose back faced them, the same man Naruto saw when he faded in and out of consciousness. Now that Naruto was fully awake and alert, the blonde saw he was wearing a tweed jacket and was wheel-chair bound. "Naruto, that's Chiron. Though, Percy already knows him…"

"Mr. Brunner!" Percy cried in surprise. Naruto and Annabeth glanced at him with raised eyebrows but didn't speak.

Chiron turned to them, a kind smile on his face as he looked at them.

"Ah, good, Percy." Chiron said, before changing his gaze to the whiskered blonde beside Percy. "Naruto, I presume?" At the slight movement of the blonde's head, Chiron smiled. "Excellent, and now we have four for pinochle…" The wheel-chair bound man muttered loud enough for them to hear.

Standing up from his wheel chair, Percy gaped in shock when instead of normal legs, Chiron's were that of a white horse, standing proudly. "Y-You're a…" Percy stuttered, pointing at his teacher, surprise and wonder on his face.

Chiron nodded with a smile. "Yes, I am a Centaur." He finished. Turning to the chubby man across from him, the Centaur spoke, "Mr. D, I would like to introduce you to the two boys that killed the Minotaur."

Mr. D narrowed his eyes at both Naruto and Percy, as if they were beneath him, before introducing himself. "Hmph. And you two are?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Uh, Percy Jackson, sir."

The God of Madness stayed silent as he observed the boys before scoffing. "Not impressed." Was all he said before shaking the can on his hand. Feeling that it was empty, the God snapped his fingers and out of nowhere, another can appeared, replacing the last one. Naruto and Percy frowned at the God's rude attitude but didn't say anything, remembering Grover's warning.

Chiron sighed at this and looked at the God. "Mr. D…"

Upon hearing the tone in the Centaur's voice, Mr. D grumbled, "Must I say it?" At the stern glance Chiron gave him, he heaved a sigh. "Fine. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Nathaniel and Peter. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you two."

Both boys opened their mouths to correct the God only for Annabeth to stop them. "Don't even bother, Mr. D does that to all Demi-gods." She told them.

Naruto crossed his arms and scowled. _"Dick."_ He summed up the camp director in one word.

Maybe that was why they called him Mr. D.

A look of realization crossed the blonde's face. "Mr. D… Does that, stand for something?" Naruto asked after a moment of silence.

The chubby camp director stopped shuffling his cards and looked at the blonde boy with a look on his face. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason." He warned.

"Are you going to play?" Chiron asked, sitting back on his wheel chair.

Naruto and Percy shrugged.

"You _do_ know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D added, eyeing the blonde boy and black haired boy suspiciously.

"No, not really." Percy said.

"No, sir." Naruto said, being extra careful to be polite around the camp director.

Even if it wasn't his thing.

"Hm. At least you have manners, unlike many other kids here," He said, "Well, it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans." Mr. D praised the 8-bit game. "I would expect all _civilized_ young men to know the rules." The God muttered, glancing at Percy who sweated under his gaze.

The Centaur chuckled, "I am sure they can learn…" Chiron trailed off, and he looked up when a light shined down. His eyes widened in shock. Annabeth followed the Centaur's gaze and looked up at Naruto's head and her jaw dropped in surprise.

Naruto looked confused as Grover dragged an equally confused Percy down on his knees, bowing down to the blonde. Chiron bowed his head and Annabeth also dropped to her knees, along with every Demi-god within the vicinity.

Mr. D rose an eyebrow in mild interest.

Naruto in turn looked up at the image above him.

And widened his eyes.

* * *

 **Cliffhangers!**

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions. Write anything really.**

 **If you're here to flame or just bad mouth me in general... Do it. Won't really matter, but if want to sure.**

 **See ya.**


	4. Revelation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The PJO series. Both franchises are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.**

 **Enjoy, Chapter 4 of**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

Naruto in turn looked up at the image above him.

And widened his eyes.

A yellowish, golden holographic lightning bolt hung above him, glowing with power and radiance.

"By the Gods above… It's Zeus!" A random Demi-god shouted from the outside of the porch, still bowing down.

Naruto dropped his "Hood" in shock, not minding as the red helmet rolled on the floor and stopping at Percy's feet.

"All hail Naruto Uzumaki! Son of Zeus, Thunderer, Lord of the Sky, and King of Olympus!"

Chiron spoke loud and clear, all the while the other Demi-gods looked at Naruto with awe and surprise, some even with fear.

He turned his head to the people he knew, and saw that Grover looked like he was about to faint, Percy looked even more confused than before, holding onto Naruto's "Hood". Annabeth also had a look of shock, though she was happy that her friend was claimed. Chiron held a grim face, as if something very bad happened.

Naruto had a slight suspicion as to why the Centaur had the expression.

Mr. D just went back to shuffling his cards while he drank his soda, as if the events happening right now wasn't important to him.

Everyone stood up from their places and other Demi-gods were already running towards the more active locations in the Camp, most likely to spread the word about the recently claimed Demi-god of one of the Big Three.

The now claimed Son of Zeus stayed still as he heard whispers around him, but he ignored it. For now.

Percy walked up to Naruto and handed him the blonde's "Hood", "Are you okay?" The black haired boy asked. Naruto blinked and snapped out of his stupor and grabbed his helmet. "Yeah. I just need to sit down for a bit." He said tiredly, plopping down on one of the lounge chairs in the porch.

All of this was a lot to take in.

As the blonde contemplated, the sounds of hooves trotting to his place caused Naruto to remove his gaze on the ground and onto Chiron. "I am sure you have many questions." The Centaur said, to which Naruto agreed.

"Did you know the whole time?" Naruto asked the Centaur. Chiron shook his head, "No. Truly, after Thalia," At the mention of the girl's name, Annabeth and Grover gained a sad look at that, while Naruto's whole body stiffened and his fists clenched. "I thought Lord Zeus would have stopped after her… death." Chiron grimaced as he said that. "But since you were claimed; I was wrong about that." He admitted.

"But why couldn't he send a sign!" Naruto snapped angrily as he shot up from the lounge chair, his father's temper showing, "If I really am his son, why didn't he do anything when I was with Thalia, Luke, and Annie?!" He asked, frustration in his voice, and Chiron could not blame the child for that.

"It was most likely to keep you safe." Chiron explained, "After The Rich One sent various monsters after Thalia, Lord Zeus must have feared for what would happen to you, and so waited for you to reach Camp before claiming you." Naruto sat back down after the explanation, his mind still in a fuzz.

The Centaur seemed to see the distress in the blonde's face and placed a hand on his shoulder then looked at the Daughter of Athena. "Annabeth, would you kindly prepare Percy his bunk? We shall be placing him in Cabin Eleven for now. And if you will, some supplies and necessities for Naruto in Cabin One."

The girl nodded and sprinted off, but not before giving Naruto an a assuring smile, a way to show that she was there for him. The whiskered blonde gave her a grateful smile in return.

"Well," Mr. D spoke up after a moment of silence, "I'm tired." He announced, "Shall we continue this later then, Mr. D?" Chiron gestured the cards shuffled around the table. The God nodded, "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight."

He turned to Naruto and Percy. "Cabin Eleven, Percy Jackson. Also, mind your manners. Cabin One for you Naruto Uzumaki."

Just as he entered the Big House he turned back with a look of realization on his face. "Oh, and before I forget," He looked at Naruto, "Welcome to the family." He said with a hint of mirth in his tone along with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes, clearly his "welcome" was not serious. And with that, he swept into the farmhouse.

"Well then," Chiron started, rising from his wheel chair, "I think we could all agree all of us has been cooped up for a while." Naruto and Percy nodded in agreement, their ADHD giving them a hard time to stay in one place for too long. "Let us meet the other campers."

The Centaur gave them a tour around the Big House first. Chiron showing them the parts of the large farmhouse.

As they went to the moved on and passed the various places frequented by Demi-gods wearing orange (To which Naruto thought was awesome.) CAMP HALF-BLOOD shirts and plain jeans. Several Campers often nudged each other and whispered amongst themselves as they passed by.

"That's them, the ones who killed the Minotaur." A Demi-god pointed at them.

Others often pointed at Naruto. The blonde's eye twitched as he heard one more kid "whisper" about him to another.

One of the things the blonde kept on hearing was "Big Three." A reference to the three brothers, Hades, Poseidon, and his… father, Zeus. Often times he would hear about the Oath the brothers took, to never sire Demi-god children after WWII.

This was _really_ starting to get to his nerves.

As the tour continued, Percy saw various other Satyrs wearing the same CAMP HALF-BLOOD shirt, only they didn't wear pants. Allowing their furry legs to be seen. His brows furrowed as he saw a Satyr holding a little girl that looked a bit like Annabeth by the hand. "Mr. Brun- Chiron, was I, the first Demi-god Grover escorted?" The boy asked curiously.

Chiron grimaced and Naruto stiffened at the question, the Centaur turned to the black haired boy while Naruto's back faced them. "No, Percy, but unlike yours, which was successful. His first assignment was…"

"One of them died." Naruto finished bitterly.

Percy stared, eyes wide at this, while Chiron sighed, "He was still so small back then…"

"How old is he, actually?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hm? Twenty-eight." Chiron answered casually.

"And he's in sixth grade?" Percy exclaimed in surprise.

"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy." Chiron explained.

"Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."

Naruto snorted. "Sucks for him to go through puberty twice as long." The son of Zeus said. He really wanted to get out of puberty as fast as his can.

Damn hormones.

"That's horrible." Percy shuddered in agreement.

"Yes." Chiron agreed. "Grover is a late bloomer, even by Satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic." The Centaur then gained a smile. "But, seeing as he brought not one, but TWO Demi-gods, one being a child of one of the Big Three no less, he can continue to be a protector." He assured Percy.

Percy smiled at that. "I hope." He said before he frowned, "Mr. Br-Chiron, was Naruto right, did one of them…?" He asked in a low tone.

The Centaur looked away. "Let's move along shall we?" He diverted uneasily

The three moved to the woods which Naruto and Percy discovered, was actually larger than they thought. Taking up at least a quarter of the valley.

The Centaur gestured towards the woods. "These woods are stocked," He informed, "You can try if you wish. But do be armed." He warned.

"Uhh, stocked with what?" Percy asked. "Armed with what?"

"You will see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?"

"I mean, I have the pen you gave me. But that's it." Percy answered, fishing out the hidden weapon from his pocket.

"I have my Kunai and Shuriken." Naruto reached down and patted the black pouch strapped to his leg.

"Hm. Very well then," Chiron nodded, "But I must suggest to the both of you to not use your weapons in spars, or friendly battles." He advised. "Perhaps a size five will do well for the both of you. I'll visit the armory later." The Trainer assured them.

Naruto and Percy both nodded in thanks and the tour continued.

They passed the archery range, to which the son of Zeus took interest in. He was an already skilled marksman, to which he had to thank his perverted teacher for, so a little bit of archery wouldn't hurt to improve his growing skill.

Next was the canoeing lake, to which Naruto hurriedly sped past the body of water with an uncomfortable look on his face. Chiron held an amused face at the sight, to which the son of Zeus ducked his head in embarrassment. Though he did glare at Percy who snickered quietly behind his back.

The stables were the next location they visited, to which Chiron didn't seem to like, judging by how quick the explanation the Centaur gave them, before they moved on. Next was the javelin range, the amphitheater which was used for sing-alongs, and the arena Chiron said held the sword and spear fights.

"Sword and spear fights?" Percy asked.

"Cabin challenges, Percy." The Centaur explained, "They aren't lethal," Chiron assured, "Usually." He added after a moment of thought.

Naruto frowned at that, but was used to lethality. Growing up in the streets could do that to you.

Oh, and also being a vigilante who took down criminals and scum of all kinds.

The same could not be said for Percy, who shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall."

Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion in white columns on a hill overlooking the sea. Dozens of picnic tables made out of stone, and no walls nor a roof.

"Wait, what do we do if it rains?" Percy questioned with curiosity.

Chiron looked at Percy with a hidden smile on his face. "We still have to eat, don't we?"

"Something's probably blocking the rain." Naruto stated. Staring at the pavilion, missing a sly smile on the Centaur.

The three soon reached the cabins. There were exactly twelve of them, just nestled in the woods by the lake. All cabins were arranged in a U formation, with two at the base while five were in a row on either side. All looked bizarre collection of cabins in Naruto's opinion. And the whiskered blonde seen strange buildings when he traveled around the world with Jiraiya.

Each cabin had a large, brass number above the door, they looked nothing alike whatsoever. Cabin nine had smokestacks, almost like a tiny factory. Cabin four had had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of actual real grass. Cabin seven looked to be literary made out of solid gold, the cabin gleamed so much it was almost impossible to look at without getting blinded. All faced a common area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with various Greek statues, fountains, flowerbeds, and basketball hoops.

In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined fire pit. While it was a rather warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine or ten years old was tending to the flames, poking the many coals with just a stick.

"Uhh, is that… Safe for a little girl to do that?" Nauto asked in a whisper to his black haired companion, who shrugged.

The pair of cabins located at the head of the field, Cabins number one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big, clean white marble boxes with large columns in front. Naruto stared at his cabin that was labeled with one. Out of all the cabins, this was the biggest and bulkiest. The polished bronze doors shimmered like some kind of hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across the doors. He glanced at cabin two, this one looking more graceful and feminine, its more slender columns decorated with pomegranates and flowers. The walls carved with images of peacocks.

Naruto gained a look when the thought crossed his mind. He was a child of Zeus. An illegitimate one.

From what he red in libraries, Hera hated when Zeus cheated on her and sired a child with a mortal.

"… _Eh, experienced worse."_ Naruto thought with a shrug.

He would gladly take on any challenge or task his step-mother would give him.

He _will_ prove himself.

"Is this Zeus and Hera's?" He heard Percy ask, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Correct," Chiron confirmed with a nod.

Percy looked at the cabins, "They look empty." He pointed out.

"Several of the cabins are. That's true, no one ever stays in two, but Naruto here, has Cabin One all to himself."

"I get that all to myself?" Naruto asked, pointing at the massive cabin while looking back at it and Chiron.

The Centaur nodded once again and Naruto stayed silent, gazing at his father's cabin. This was it, this time he won't be ignored. After all these years, he could finally get the answers he sought after for so long.

It was now or never.

The son of Zeus sighed deeply, and stepped forward to the cabin that was his now, stopping in front of the bronze doors and saw a bag of toiletries and necessities along with an orange sleeping bag next to it. From Annabeth surely. The whiskered blonde placed a hand on the imposing bronze door and opened it. The first thought that entered Naruto's mind was that his father's cabin looked like a bank. The dome-shaped ceiling was decorated with moving mosaics of a cloudy sky and thunderbolts. The ceiling seem to give off soft rumbles, which seem to calm him down. The cabin's smell was like that after a storm, a smell which he and Thalia always liked. _"Must be a child of Zeus thing."_ Naruto mused as he looked around. There was no furniture, which seemed to solidify the blonde's opinion that it looked like a bank, the cabin's alcoves had golden eagle statues, Zeus' sacred animal, stationed in them.

In the center of the cabin, was a ten-foot tall, intimidating statue of Zeus himself, who held a lightning bolt on one hand which was raised over the statue's head, while Aegis was held in the other. The statue looked like it had a stern eye on every part of the cabin.

Naruto took the supplies left for him and put them against the inner wall just next to the door while putting his red helmet next to the supplies.

The blonde glanced towards the door when he heard Chiron say something to Percy who was trying to take a peek into the third cabin which looked to be sea themed.

" _Must be Poseidon's."_ Naruto guessed.

Outside, Chiron placed a hand on Percy's shoulder, "Come along, Percy. Naruto, there is more to see." He called out to the boy, in seconds, Naruto was there.

As the tour group walked pass the other cabins, the son of Zeus looked around the surrounding cabins, noticing most of the other cabins were crowded with campers. It made him wonder if he had any siblings out there. Soon, his thoughts drifted to Thalia and his heart clenched.

Thalia always used to assure him that his parent would be revealed once they made it to camp and she would always seem to cheer him up whenever he got sad, and cheered for him when he killed a Hellhound for the first time. The blonde remembered that Thalia acted as a big sister for him, and she was always there for him through it all.

He shook his head and focused on the tour, arriving to the cabin with the label five. Cabin five was scruffily painted with bright red, the paint itself looking messy and dirty. Barbed wires lined the roof, and a stuffed boar's head was on the door way, its eyes seeming to follow when they passed the cabin. He cringed as they moved along, the blaring music of American rock blasting inside.

The three continued to walk in silence for the most part, Naruto taking advantage of the silence as he gazed at the scenery around him. Campers varying of age ran about, looking genuinely happy, while others still point and stare at him as if he was some sort of rare animal.

It was really starting to get annoying.

"Oh, look," Chiron's voice snapped Naruto out of his thoughts. "Annabeth is waiting for us."

The blonde girl that nursed them back to health was talking animatedly with a tall blond teenager about the oncoming game this Friday, whatever the hell that meant, in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven.

Wait…

Naruto squinted his eyes and looked at the teenager as they got closer, until realization struck him.

"Luke!"

The teenager seemed to perk up at the mention of his name and looked at them. Luke now was tall and muscular, but still looked a bit lanky, with his short-cropped sandy hair and a nice smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs and sandals with a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads like Annabeth. He also had a thick scar that ran from beneath his right to his jaw.

Naruto inwardly frowned, he too, had a scar which always served as a painful reminder and a memory he would rather forget. A memory he locked deep inside his mind.

A pair of purple, insane eyes and hideous red lips that were formed in a permanent smile which showed yellow teeth flashed in his mind. And Naruto forcibly wiped the image away from his mind as he shuddered.

He never wanted to face that man no, that _monster_ ever again.

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and continued walking.

When they reached Annabeth, she looked at Percy with a critical eye, but dismissed him quickly. She then turned to Naruto and visibly brightened when she saw him, if her now wide smile was any indication.

Luke looked over Naruto, and he saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes. Before it changed into a happy one and ran to him, embracing the younger boy. "It really is you." Luke said, separating from his fellow blonde, "Yup. And you've grown." Naruto grinned at him.

While the two conversed, Chiron looked at the daughter of Athena. "Annabeth" He said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take them from here?"

"Yes, sir." Annabeth answered, walking to Naruto's side.

Chiron and Luke chuckled lightly at this, which seemed to embarrass the girl if the blush on her face was anything to go by. Chiron turned to Percy, who looked like he was about to say something, only for the Centaur to hold up a hand, "Percy, if you have questions, I am sure Annabeth can answer them. For ones she cannot, you may find me later on." He assured the boy, before gesturing towards the door way, "Cabin Eleven." Chiron told Percy, "Make yourself at home."

Naruto noted that out of all the cabins they saw, this one looked more of a normal cabin found in summer camps. _"Looks a bit run down."_ He observed. The cabin had a broken threshold, its brown paint was peeling, and many other things that Naruto noted, really needed repairs. Over the doorway was a caduceus symbol.

Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more numbers of bed that fit into the old cabin. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor.

Chiron didn't go in. The door being too low for him. But when the campers saw the Centaur, they all stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Well, then." Chiron started, "Good luck, Percy, Naruto, take care, both of you. I'll see you two at dinner."

The Centaur turned and galloped away towards the archery range.

Naruto and Percy were looking at the kids, as they also stared back at them, though most of the looks were directed to Percy. Some did take a side glance with frowns and grumbles.

Naruto in turn narrowed his electric blue eyes and his face set into a deep scowl, his expression darkened as he glared at the campers.

The campers that sent him looks and frowns immediately looked away with fear present on their faces. Cowering under the glare the son of Zeus gave them.

Thoroughly intimidated, Naruto glanced at Annabeth who encouraged Percy to enter the cabin.

"Well?" The girl prompted. "Go on." She urged Percy.

Percy did so, and in the process, tripped on his own feet, falling down were it not for Naruto to catch him by the shirt and steadied him. Percy sent the blonde a thankful look even as snickers filled the room, but none of the campers said anything, in fear of being treated with the son of Zeus' glare a second time.

"Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven." Annabeth announced as the snickers quieted down.

"Regular, or undetermined?" One of the campers asked.

Percy looked confused at the camper's question, but Annabeth seemed to, easily replying, "Undetermined."

The campers in the cabin groaned.

Luke, the blond guy from before, Percy mused, spoke up, "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for." Luke turned to Percy with a smile on his face, "Now, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there." He said, pointing to the corner.

"This is Luke," Annabeth introduced, "He's your counselor for now."

"For now?" Percy asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the God of travelers."

"He's also the God of Thieves." Naruto added, getting snickers from the more mischievous looking kids, but were quickly silenced when the son of Zeus gave them his glare.

Percy looked around with a frown, clenching his weapon from his pocket, as to not get it stolen.

"How long will I be here?" Percy asked.

"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?"

All the campers laughed.

"Come on," Annabeth told both of the new campers. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

"Didn't we already see it?" Naruto argued, Percy nodding in agreement.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Come on, Whiskers." She grabbed Naruto's wrist and dragged him outside forcibly, which earned a few "Oooh's" and snickers from the campers. Percy followed soon after.

"Hey!"

Once outside, Annabeth let go of Naruto's wrist and opened her mouth to say something.

Before a husky voice interrupted her.

"Well! Looky here, newbies!"

The three looked over. A muscular girl that looked to from cabin five marched to them, followed by three other girls behind her, looking similar to her.

"Clarisse," Annabeth growled lowly with annoyance. "Why don't you polish your spear of something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," Clarisse waved her off. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

" _Erre es korakas!_ " Annabeth exclaimed, which Percy somehow knew was Greek for 'Go to the crows!" How the boy could actually understand that, even he didn't know.

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse threatened, then turned and looked at Percy. "Who're you pansies?" She asked rudely, then glancing at Naruto with a bit of wariness in her eyes at the blonde.

"Percy Jackson, Naruto Uzumaki," Annabeth started, "Meet Clarisse La Rue, Daughter of Ares."

Percy blinked at that. "Like… The war God?"

The daughter of said war God sneered at him. "Got a problem with that?"

"No," Percy shook his head, "It explains the smell."

"Burn." Naruto smirked, as the brutish girl glared.

"We've got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy, Airhead." Clarisse growled.

"Percy." The black haired boy corrected.

"How about I let my fist meet your face instead?" Naruto retorted.

"Wanna go, blondie?" Clarisse fumed and rounded on the Whiskered blonde.

Naruto let out a smirk, "I'd rather put you out of your misery." He retorted, not backing down.

"Just 'cause you're daddy's one of the Big Three ain't going to save you from our initiation." Clarisse explained with a cruel smirk.

Naruto's electric blue eyes narrowed in anger. "Come give it a try." He said with a growl. Lightning danced around the blonde's form as the skies blackened and rumbled.

Just as the two looked ready to duke it out, Annabeth thankfully intervened. "Stop!" She said and looked at the daughter of Ares. "Clarisse, you know what Chiron told you, no fighting until Friday!"

"Yeah, and what's going to stop me from breaking that deal?" Clarisse replied, her fist clenching.

"Need I remind you about the last time you broke Chiron's deal, Clarisse?" Annabeth warned. Clarisse paled, and backed off, but not before shooting the three a glare and stormed off with her siblings.

The blonde let out a "tch", lightning stopped dancing around him and the skies cleared as he reigned his temper.

"Dude…" Percy muttered, a new found respect for the blonde.

* * *

It was nighttime now, just after dinner and Naruto was found back inside his cabin. Leaning against a pillar as the soft rumbles from the ceiling echoed within the massive cabin. The blonde took out a kunai from his pouch and inspected it, touching the tip lightly.

Still sharp. Good.

He had to be prepared, just after Annabeth finished the tour, she decided that both he, and Percy would join her team during Capture the flag this coming Friday.

And he couldn't wait.

Putting the Kunai back into his pouch, he looked up and walked up to the statue with a blank look on his face. "Well… I'm here now." Naruto started, "After everything I've been through, I just found out that you're my father."

His eyes narrowed. "You claimed me for a reason, didn't you?" He accused, "Something big is going on, isn't there? That's why you claimed me, right?"

…

"Answer me!"

Silence reigned, and he waited for an answer, anything, from his father, but after a few minutes, before he sighed, walking to his sleeping bag, he tucked himself in and closed his eyes, the soft rumbles of the ceiling calming him.

He needed to rest.

It was a big day tomorrow.

* * *

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions. Write anything really.**

 **If you're here to flame or just bad mouth me in general... Do it. Won't really matter, but if want to sure.**

 **See ya.**


	5. Capture the Flag Pt1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The PJO series. Both franchises are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.**

 **Enjoy, Chapter 5 of**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

" _Wakey, Wakey, Hoody~"_

 _Naruto's eyes groggily opened and he felt cold metal on his chin, forcing him to crane his head up to meet the owner of the voice._

 _The first thing he noticed was the tall man's bleached white skin and messy green hair, then his deranged purple eyes which seemed to swirl with insanity locked on to his electric blues. The man's purple jacket and pants were filled with creases and crinkles as he held a metal crowbar to his chin._

 _But what creeped Naruto out the most was the man's ruby red lips which was outstretched to a wide, permanent grin, showing yellow unsightly teeth._

 _Naruto struggled to move only to find he couldn't, feeling his hands held tightly by thick rope. The man seemed to notice his peril and giggled, "Oh, don't mind me; just keep struggling. It's more fun this way." The man urged the blonde._

 _Naruto snarled behind his helmet (or what was left of it), his blue eyes staring right back into the man's purples. "Screw you!"_

 _Thunder boomed angrily outside._

 _For the first time, Naruto took in his surroundings, he was in a warehouse, judging by the many crates and boxes that were stacked on top of each other. One light source dangled above him as he was forced to kneel._

 _The man looked amused by his response, removing the crowbar from Naruto's chin, he walked around the bound blonde, circling him. "That's the spirit! You're a natural rebel," He praised, "Not that it'll do you any good…" The man trailed off._

 _Immediately after that the man cracked Naruto on the face with the crowbar, hard, sending the blonde skidding away a few feet._

" _Oooh, that looked like it really hurt." The man mocked._

 _Naruto stood up wobbly, only to get hit by the crowbar once more, sending him down to the ground. "Whoop; now hang on, that looked like it hurt a lot more…"_

 _The man played with the metal crowbar in his hands as he watched the boy struggle once more. "Now, let's try to clear this up okay pumpkin?" He raised the crowbar above his head. "What hurts more?"_

" _A?"_

 _And brought it down harshly upon the blonde._

" _Or B?"_

 _He stuck the boy again._

" _Forehand,"_

 _Another strike._

" _Or backhand?"_

 _By now, the black crowbar was stained red by Naruto's blood._

 _Naruto collapsed on the floor and coughed up blood, the crimson liquid_ _dripping_ _down his chin and onto the floor. Even as his body screamed in pain, he tried to say something._

 _The man noticed Naruto's lips move, and frowned before crouching down and put a hand to his ear, "Uuh, Uhh, What's that? A little louder blondie; I think you have a collapsed lung that always impedes the oratory." He said, ruffling the blonde's hair._

 _In response Naruto spit a wad of blood on the man's chin which caused him to frown and brought the blonde's head down on the ground._

 _He huffed, taking out a napkin and cleaned the blood on his chin, "Now that was rude, people I tortured before were polite, and when I say polite I mean them begging down on their knees for mercy." Naruto only grinned, his teeth bloody._

 _At this, the man cracked a smile as his eyes looked at the blonde. "Looks like I have to teach you some manners."_

 _He paused and shrugged, "Nah, I'll just keep on beating you with this crowbar!"_

 _With that, he proceeded to beat the blonde without mercy or remorse, laughing cruelly as he did._

 _Awhile later, Naruto looked on the verge to pass out in any second, his eyes dropping every second as his body swayed left to right._

 _The man cupped the blonde's chin with a grin before kicking him. "Oh, don't pass out now! What happened to all that bravado from earlier?"_

 _Naruto didn't answer._

 _The man grinned, "Strap in boy, because we will be here for a bit~" He sing-songed._

 _He started giggling which turned to full blown laughter as thunder boomed once more._

* * *

Naruto shot up from his sleeping bag with a gasp, sweat covered his face and his hair was in a mess. He wiped the sweat off his face with a hand towel and fixed his hair, standing up, he stretched before donning his gear.

His arms slid in the sleeves of his leather jacket smoothly and he straightened it, bending down, he strapped his pouch securely on his leg and tightened the laces of his boots. Once finished, the blonde sighed and looked at his father's statue, imposing and intimidating as ever.

"So… Zeus," He paused, unsure of what to say, "I gotta admit, out of all the Gods and Goddesses I expected to be my parent; I never thought it would be you."

He ran a hand through his hair, "I mean, I didn't expect me, Naruto Uzumaki a no-named orphan and outcast, to be the son of Zeus, the _King_ of Gods himself." He gained a frown, "Why wasn't I told you were my father when I was with Thalia, my half-sister no less."

The blonde sighed, "I don't know what you want from me, or if I need to do something. I mean, from what I hear, it takes a while for kids to get claimed, so… Uh, thanks for claiming me."

He didn't know what to think about his claiming honestly. He already heard how unlucky it was to be left unclaimed, to not know who their parents were. And he understood the feeling of being abandoned. Though, he was sure as hell that Zeus had an ulterior motive for claiming him this early.

It had to connect with the dreams and visions he started having. All of it would often involve an eagle and a horse. Two sacred animals that belonged to his sire and uncle, and the dream would usually depict them fighting.

A look of realization dawned on the blonde.

They were fighting over something.

The question was _why?_ There had to be a reason his father and uncle were fighting, an argument perhaps? A spat?

Or maybe something was stolen?

A knock on the door interrupted his musings.

After opening the massive door to his cabin, and the unexpected visitor was Annabeth who had a look of concern on her face.

"Is something wrong?" She asked with worry at the look on the taller blonde's face.

Naruto shook his head, "Nah, just thinking is all." He leaned on the doorway, "So, what's up Annie-chan?"

Annabeth grew red when she heard the affectionate suffix he gave her. She moved a bang behind her ear as she shifted nervously, "I-I just wanted to t-tell you that it's almost breakfast is all." The girl said, inwardly hitting herself for stuttering.

Naruto nodded and the two made their way towards the direction everyone else was going.

Annabeth sat at her own table with the rest of her siblings at table six, while Naruto sat at his own table, table one, which was near the entrance of the pavilion.

They marched up the hill to the mess halls pavilion. Satyr joined the campers from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few dryads coming out of trees, joining the Demi-gods.

At the pavilion, torches left snuffed out were around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a tub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Three of the tables were empty, though cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. Naruto snickered slightly at the sight of Percy having to squeeze on the edge of a bench.

That _had_ to be uncomfortable.

And himself? Well, he sat at his own large table, all alone…

He didn't know if he should consider himself lucky or not.

He saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a pair of plump blond boys who looked just like the camp director; Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur.

Clarisse sat in front of the Ares' table. Laughing and belching right alongside her friends and siblings. Naruto scrunched his nose at the way the ate.

An image popped in his mind. That of a boy the same age as him with red hair and green eyes, wearing skin tight long-sleeved yellow suit with a red lighting bolt on the center and red jeans eating in the same manner as the children of war, only faster. Stuffing his face with tacos mixed with pizza of all kinds.

Naruto cringed with disgust, and forced the image out of his head.

" _Note to self, NEVER sit next to Wally next time we eat."_

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and barbecue. Naruto loaded up his plate with a steaming bowl of Ramen, and grinned before he dug in, moderately eating his bowl.

After breakfast, the campers separated and went to their daily activities. Naruto himself having a schedule given to him by Chiron after eating.

He first took Ancient Greek from Annabeth with Percy, though Annabeth would keep sending him weird looks all the time and her cheeks would turn red whenever he looked at her, and would turn away. He got confused when Percy would give him disappointing looks and head shakes.

For the rest of the day, he would rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something he was good at. Chiron tried to teach him archery, which he was a natural at, his skill with the bow being enhanced thanks to years of practicing. Chiron looked quite pleased at that.

Foot racing? He was good at that too. Leaving the wood-nymph instructors in the dust. They were quite mad. Having centuries of practice running away from lovesick Gods, yet, he was faster than them.

And wrestling? Yep, good at that too. The first time he got on the mat, Clarisse would challenge him and lose. And would call the blond in many offensive names.

It was second nature to him, having to go out at night and playing vigilante, fighting crooks and sums alike back in Richmond. So he had the upper hand in experience and training.

That could not be said for Percy however, who, in his defence, did try his best, but ultimately got suplexed by an angry Clarisse.

He also tried canoeing along with Percy. It wasn't really his thing, and it seemed the lake had it out for him when his canoe almost flipped upside down _three_ times. Though, Percy excelled in it, the boy finally finding something he was good at.

The senior campers and counselors were impressed, finding the son of Zeus a good addition to camp Half-blood. But were still trying to figure out who Percy's Godly parent was.

Despite all that, the camp was enjoyable. Having gotten used to the smell of strawberry fields in the afternoon, sweaty kids fighting everywhere, even the Aphrodite cabin girls who constantly try to flirt with him all the time, but Annabeth would usually drive them away with a huff.

Afternoon, just hours away from Capture the Flag. It was time for the both Naruto and Percy's first sword-fighting lesson since they made to camp. Cabin eleven gathered in the big circular area, where Luke would be the instructor.

Both started with basic stabbing and slashing, using straw-stuffed dummies in Greek Armor. The son of Zeus did it perfectly, whereas Percy slashed wildy, wapping his sword during his turn, imagining his less than stellar step-father as the dummy.

The lesson moved on to dueling pairs. A random son of Hermes, Travis the son of Zeus remembered, became Percy's partner and quickly beated the green eyed boy.

Percy groaned on the floor and blearily opened his eyes, and saw a gloved hand that belonged the sky child. He grabbed the offered appendage and stood up with the help of the blond, "Thanks." The black haired boy massaged his back as he held onto his sword before walking back into the crowd.

Luke announced that he would be Naruto's partner, since this was my first time.

As he approached the son of Hermes, one camper whispered to him, "Good luck," He said, "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."

"That's gonna change…" Naruto muttered.

Through the crowd, Annabeth watched the oncoming duel with a worried look on her face, watching two of her friends stared at each other.

Naruto saw this, and flashed her a charming smile, his electric blue eyes shining in confidence. He quickly looked back at Luke who readied his sword, and he himself took a kunai from his pouch, went into a stance, and focused on the older blond, missing Annabeth's blush.

"Well." Luke smirked. "Let's get started."

Naruto nodded. He was confident he would beat him.

Then both charged at each other.

Luke showered him with thrusts, parries, and shield blocks, but the son of Zeus would dodge every strike and retaliate with a more aggressive attack. He had to admit Luke was really good with a sword and shield; but he faced people who made the son of Hermes a toddler in comparison.

The image of a man in orange and black armor and mask which only had one eye hole that exposed one calculating and deadly grey eye appeared in his mind.

" _Focus!"_

Naruto blinked and side-stepped a thrust aimed his way before using his arm to block a shield bash from Luke. The sky child quickly used his arm that blocked the son of Hermes' shield and forcefully shoved it away from Luke's chest. He slashed at him with speed and ferocity that forced Luke to stumble back.

The younger blond took the advantage and lunged at him.

He got closer to him and slashed quickly. The son of Zeus lunged once more but the older blond brought his shield up just in time.

"Good job Naruto, you've -urgh!- really grown these past six years!" Luke praised.

Naruto didn't answer, kicking Luke's leg which caught him by surprise. The blond kicked the center of the son of Hermes' chest before striking him in the abdomen with a palm strike.

Luke stood there, dazed, and Naruto ran to him and kicked the shield away from the older blond and sending him backwards.

The bronze shield landed on the dusty ground.

Both blonds charged and met at a standstill, their forearms wrestling for dominance as both glared at each other.

"Give up!" Luke shouted, gritting his teeth.

"I'm standing my ground!" Naruto growled.

The crowd cheered, one side for the son of Zeus, while the other cheered for the son of Hermes.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and his arm sparked before a static charge was released. Literally (and figuratively) shocking Luke causing him to lose the clash, Naruto sent a hard right towards Luke's face and a powerful kick in the stomach, sending the older blond towards the ground.

The crowd went silent as Luke landed with a thud and lied there. Naruto quickly came to the older blond side with a look of regret on his face, "Sorry." He apologized.

Luke sat up, seeming to be too shocked (no pun intended) to speak. "Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the Gods, why are you sorry? This is great! You're a natural with weapons, Naruto!"

The other campers nodded with agreement and looked at the son of Zeus with newfound respect. Percy especially.

* * *

It was evening, getting ever so close to Capture the Flag. Naruto was found sitting next to Annabeth at the lake, resting from wall climbing. The blond was used to scaling walls, and it helped that Annabeth was there to help him out.

"You did pretty well for the first time you ever tried climbing the wall. Almost all first-timers usually end up getting burned." She praised him.

Naruto shrugged. "Eh, I'm used to it-ttebayo."

Annabeth looked at him weirdly. "You scaled a wall before?" She questioned.

The sky child avoided the girl's eyes as he shifted nervously, "Uh…" He tried to come up with a reason.

The daughter of Athena recognized the look on Naruto's face and sent him a look. "Naruto…." She warned. "What did you do before you came here?"

Naruto sighed, "I became a vigilante back at Richmond…"He murmured just loud enough for Annabeth to hear.

"What?!"

Annabeth put her hands on her hips and glared at the son of Zeus. "So you mean to tell me. That for six years, you've been running around Richmond playing hero and saving damsels in distress, hmm?" She sighed, "What did you even call yourself?"

Naruto grinned and jabbed a thumb towards his chest. "I'm Red Hood." He declared proudly. "Taking down scumbags and serving justice!" The son of Zeus' said cheesily, like how heroes would say it back in the nineties. Annabeth stared at him before giggling (which the boy found cute) and scooted closer, "I guess I should have seen you playing vigilante coming."

The two went silent as they enjoyed the scenery.

* * *

It was finally time, Naruto thought excitedly, well, there was more excitement than usual. It was time for Capture the Flag. When the plates cleared away, the familiar sound of the conch horn rang out and everyone stood at their tables.

Campers yell and cheer as Annabeth and two of her half-siblings run into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was nearly ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of an owl above some tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her siblings ran with another banner of identical size, but red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.

Percy turned to Luke and yelled, "Does Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"

"Not always," He replied. "Most often. Plus, it is more interesting. Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and War, versus Ares, the God of War, would be pretty cool to see fight."

Percy nodded. "Uh, whose side are we on?"

"Atheana's, for a while. We chose to be allies for a couple of months. You and Naruto are going to be great help."

The teams were announced; Athena made an alliance with Zeus, Apollo, and Hermes, two of the biggest cabins and what some saw as their Ace in the hole, considering that the son of Zeus seemed to show skill. Privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities-in order to win support from other cabins.

Ares had allied themselves with everybody else; Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what Percy had seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had the edge with their skills in nature and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive, unless you got on their bad side. From the Aphrodite campers, he didn't have to worry too much. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake, did their hair and gossiped. Hephaestus' kids were rough looking, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem. That, of course, left Ares' cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids he'd ever seen.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.

"Heroes!" He announced. "You know the rules; the creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but not to be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with various equipment; ranging from helmets, bronze swords, spears, and ox hide shields coated in metal.

Naruto didn't glance at the armor spread out, and simply took a blue headband and tied it to his arm before putting his 'Hood' on.

Just as he was about to pull out two kunais, a heavenly voice stopped him, _"_ _Check the table."_ The voice was authoritative and imposing, when the blond looked back over the table, everything looked the same before a pair of gauntlets shimmered on the table. They looked to be the same design of the gauntlets he had now, only these were made out of bronze and had the lightning bolt symbol engraved on each gauntlet. Black, fingerless gloves attached to the bronze gauntlets.

" _Zeus?"_ The blond questioned in his mind.

" _Touch them."_ The voice commanded him and he listened, although warily. Replacing his old gauntlets with the engraved ones he fastened the straps. "So… What now?" Naruto asked, _"Think of a weapon."_ The voice said, and Naruto listened, closing his eyes in concentration, he quickly thought of a weapon. The gauntlets glowed blue before turning into twin bronze blades with hooked sides, and had a guard that covered the front of the hilt that ended in a sharp edge and intricate patterns on the flat side of the blades **(1)**. The blond stared in amazement as he inspected it. _"Use them wisely."_ The voice stated.

Naruto thought on how to change back to the gauntlets, as soon as he thought of it; they glowed before turning back to normal. He looked up at the sky, before cracking a smile. "Thanks… Zeus."

He ran back to the rest of the blue team, and the son of Zeus almost laughed at the sight before him.

Percy had a shield that was the size of a large sign, with a big caduceus in the middle, and looked like he could barely lift it. He had a helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, which had a blue horsehair plume on top.

The blond somehow managed to stop his laughter before running back to Annabeth and marched alongside her.

"Anything I should worry about?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "I would have warned you about Clarisse's spear, but since you're a son of Zeus; you're going to be fine. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke told you your job?"

"Guard the border so that Clarisse and her buddies come and attack me while you guys get the flag." He said confidently.

She looked at Naruto in shock, "He told you that?!"

"No, he told me to guard the border, I figured out the rest." He said, before grabbing Percy by the collar and dragging the boy with him, despite Percy's protests.

Annabeth shot him a confused look. "What are you doing?"

"Figured that Clarisse would be aiming for the both of us since we did piss her off. I'll bring Percy with me so that she and her buddies have their attention on us."

The daughter of Athena opened her mouth, before closing it. "That, actually sounds good, are you still going through with it?" She asked uneasily.

Naruto nodded and looked at Percy, "You get the plan?" Percy nodded his head, "Y-Yeah guard the border and use ourselves as bait."

The blond shrugged. "Pretty much."

With that, they both push ahead.

They had a game to win.

* * *

 **(1) - Think of the design of Godkiller, a sword given by Hephaestus to Deathstroke who used it during the comis.**

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions. Write anything really.**

 **If you're here to flame or just bad mouth me in general... Do it. Won't really matter, but if want to sure.**

 **See ya.**


	6. Capture the Flag Pt2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The PJO series. Both franchises are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.**

 **Enjoy, Chapter 6 of**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

The conch horn blew. Whoops were heard as blue team raced into the woods.

It didn't take long for the three Demigods to meet the opposition, coming across three kids of Ares first. Luke acted fast; knocking one kid out quickly. The second went down by the son of Zeus' hand who used his newly acquired weapon, ducking under the child of Ares' swing and elbowed him right in the temple. The dazed war child retaliated by slashing at him only for his sword to meet twin bronze blades in block that resembled an 'X'. With a yell, Naruto forcefully broke the son of war's guard before a slash to the abdomen brought the child of Ares' down.

"Mark!" The third one cried out. With an enraged roar, he charged at the whiskered blond, intent on avenging his unconscious brother. Naruto's swords changed back to gauntlets and he took out two kunai and flipped the small weapons in a reverse grip, lightning dancing on the small blades. The sky child lunged at the incoming child of war and dodged a punch before striking the third one two times, electrocuting the boy.

Grabbing the stunned son of Ares on the shoulders, he switched their positions and kicked him on the back which sent him to Percy's direction. "Percy! Now's your chance!" Naruto called out. The green eyed boy nodded firmly and went into a stance that he remembered Luke teaching him. The war child tried to hit Percy with his sword only for Percy to dodge and bash the son of war with his shield, and slashing him with his sword.

As the third one hit the ground, sounds of footsteps hit the three Demigods ears and the three looked at the right side. Five or seven Demigods of the opposing team that ranged from Demeter to Ares surrounded Naruto, Percy, and Luke with their weapons readied. But just as the opposing Demigods moved to attack, arrows suddenly came flying out of nowhere, hitting the opposing team. Naruto turned his head to a bush just a distance away. The bushes rustled, and kids from the Apollo cabin popped out of the bushes while other Apollo kids came out of their hiding spots behind the trees, all of them holding bows. The son of Zeus' looked at one of the Apollo children in particular who led the barrage, Will Solace, if he remembered correctly. Sending a thankful nod to the son of Apollo. Will smiled in return before he and his siblings scattered, hunting down more of the opposing team.

"Let's get a move on." Luke ordered as they continued through the woods as yells and clangs of metal could be heard all around.

The three moved further into enemy territory, it was only minutes before another group started to chase them as they headed to the flag. Percy panted as he ran. It was bad enough that the slightly bigger armor was weighing him down a bit, but he had to keep an eye on both the ground and the front as to not lose Luke and Naruto. "What do we do?!" He yelled out to the older Demigod. Luke stayed silent as he planned for a strategy, "I have an idea!" Both heads snapped to the son of Zeus, "Let's split up and meet at the flag!" The son of Hermes' glanced back at the group that was chasing them before grimacing and turned to Naruto. "We can't! They're hot on our trail, if we split up now, they'll be able to get us!" At this, Naruto smirked behind his helmet.

Taking out a small, grey, pellet from his belt, the sky child held it out so his allies could see the small object. "Don't worry I'll cover our escape, though you may want to cover your mouth!" He warned.

Before dropping the pellet.

"Hey! What gives?!"

The group that chased the three Demigods stared in confusion as thick, grey, smoke engulfed the area which blocked their vision. Luke and Percy quickly covered their mouths, hearing violent coughing from behind. "Meet you at the flag!" Both heard Naruto say, before the three split into different directions.

"Get the Airhead!"

Naruto smirked as a part of the group that avoided the pellet chased after him, most likely seeing him as a 'bigger' threat. He threw random shurikens at the direction of his pursuers and ducked behind a particularly large tree.

"Where'd he go?" One asked, only to get shrugs in response, "Find him! He must be lurking around here somewhere…" The others nodded at the order and fanned out to search the area. Missing the shadowy figure on top of the tree that was in the middle of the path.

The son of Zeus' crouched down on one knee on top of a tree branch that was strong enough to hold his weight as he surveyed and observed where the opposing Demigods where.

One Demigod approached the bushes and inspected the shrubbery. After a few minutes of searching, he shrugged and prepared to release the bush to find more spots that the son of Zeus could have hid.

Only for a gloved hand to shoot up from the bush and grab him by the face, muffling his startled scream and pulled him inside the bush.

Naruto grabbed the struggling Demigod in a choke hold and elbowed him on the back of his neck, instantly knocking out the boy in one swift motion.

A son of Ares whapped at a few bushes to clear his path, having strayed from the others to find the sky child. Just a few feet away from the original area where the son of Zeus disappeared. He grunted and destroyed one more bush only to end up meeting a tree, the war child growled frustratingly and turned around, grumbling as he did.

Rustle from nearby shrubbery alerted the son of war who immediately took out his sword and pointed at the direction, "Who's there?!" He shouted.

Another rustle from behind made the son of Ares to turn around and glare at that direction.

"Answer me!"

Silence.

He seethed, "Show yourself you coward!" The boy demanded. He backed up in wariness, before hitting the tree from before, startling him a bit. The son of Ares gave a small yell of surprise, not loud enough for anyone to hear, and glared at the tree, "Stupid tree…" He grumbled, and started to walk back to his group.

Never noticing a figure that appeared upside down from a rope, before it was too late, and the son of Ares' scream rang out.

The last two Demigods snapped their heads at the direction of the sound, "Joshua?" One asked hesitantly, and the two walked towards the direction of where the sound originated.

Weapons at the ready, the two Demigods approached the path where the son of Ares took, lightly stumbling at a few rocks here and there. "J-Joshua, where are you?" The first one called out, his hands slightly trembling.

Both backed up and eventually hit something, or rather, _someone._ The two Demigods slowly looked up at what they crashed into at fear.

It was the son of Ares, who was bound by the feet and was dangling off a rope that was tied to the tree, his face having one bruise that was already starting to swell. His head barely inches above the ground.

The two opposing Demigods didn't had a chance to scream before their heads were forcefully collided and sent them to the land of Morpheus.

As the two Demigods fall down to the ground, Naruto didn't waste any time and dashed back in the direction of where the flag should be.

He made it to the flag, and saw two kids guarding it. A daughter of Demeter and a son of Ares. The girl held a sword and shield, whereas the son of Ares held a spear. Both looked vigilant, their shoulders tense and their bodies already in a stance.

He crept silently, his footsteps barely making a sound, taking out a shuriken and aimed for the daughter of Demeter, the shuriken sped towards the girl and nailed her right in the head, knocking her out cold instantly.

The son of Ares gave out a startled shout, and twirled around before snarling at the sky child, and charged at him with his spear. Naruto easily side-stepped the attack and his gauntlets changed into his twin blades. The blond immediately went on the offensive, forcing the son of Ares to go to the defensive. Naruto swung his blades at the spear wielding boy and broke his guard.

The war child quickly recovered and sent a right hook only for it to be blocked. The child of Zeus kicked the child of war in the stomach, making him double over, before cracking the boy on the face, the son of Ares retaliated and thrusted his spear, but the blond was too quick and dodged the thrust with ease.

The son of Zeus brought one of his twin blades down on the spear and held it there, the war child snarled and kicked the blond, forcing distance between them.

With a cry, the son of Ares charged at the blond once more. Naruto crouched mid-way as the war child neared him. Just as he was a few inches away, the son of Zeus jumped over the boy and watched as the son of war meet face-to-trunk with a tree.

Naruto snickered slightly as the boy dropped his spear and slumped down, his face still on the tree.

That never failed to crack him up.

He started to head back to the flag before Luke, followed by his siblings and a few of Apollo's children, busted through the woods and saw the son of Zeus.

Blue eyes met and a silent challenge was made.

Without a moment's notice. Both Naruto and Luke rushed for the flag. The son of Hermes seemed to gain the upper hand due to his longer legs and years of training. Naruto smirked at this and planted his hands on the ground, much to Luke's confusion, and did a front flip, which started a chain of various acrobatic and complicated flips.

Naruto snagged the flag a millisecond before Luke and held the long red cloth in victory. "Looks like I win this time." He boasted proudly.

Luke looked at the younger blond and just _knew_ he had a cheeky grin underneath his mask.

The son of Hermes rolled his eyes playfully, "Fine. I'll give you this victory, you earned it." He answered, "Let's go." He ordered, and the group started to run.

Soon after they ran, the Hephaestus kids, who had been actually tailing Luke's group for some time, chased after them as the son of Zeus' held the flag. Half way to the creek, Naruto pulled the flag away from Luke when he noticed the older blond attempting to snatch it. "Seriously?"

Luke only shrugged in response, "I'm a son of Hermes, it's in my blood." He defended.

Naruto narrowed his eyes when he glanced back at the relentless Demigods chasing after them. He started running faster, vaulting and flipping over various stumps even as he held the banner.

"A trick!" Naruto heard and saw Clarisse on the ground nearby, holding a broken spear with Percy a few feet away from the brutish girl. She was clearly pissed about something. "It was a trick!"

Despite this, the whiskered boy continued and stopped in friendly territory, skidding to a stop. The rest of the blue team saw him, and exploded into cheers. They'd won, the evidence being that the red banner shimmered and turned gold. The boar and spear replaced with a large lightning bolt, an obvious symbol for cabin one. Naruto gave out a surprised yell when his teammates picked him up.

"The hell?!" He squawked as they carried him around their shoulders, cheering all the way. Chiron galloped out from the woods just as they finished their parade, and let the blond blow the conch horn.

The game was over. They won.

Naruto removed his helmet and looked around the cheering campers and smiled along with them.

"Naruto!"

The blond steadied himself as he caught Annabeth whose arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace. The girl pulled away and the child of Zeus saw a bright smile on her face as she clung to him. "We won!" She shouted excitedly.

Naruto chuckled, "Yep, we sure did, Annie-chan."

Annabeth smiled, before she realized what she was doing and quickly let go of the boy, her cheeks burning as she did.

"Naruto!"

The blond turned once again when he heard his name and saw Percy, who oddly looked fine, run up to him with a smile on his face, "Just wanted to say congrats on winning the game!" He praised.

The son of Zeus smiled back, a bit embarrassed, "We wouldn't have won if you weren't there Percy." He said.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, looking down, "It's nothing, really…" He trailed off.

The blond only chuckled, "If it weren't for you, Clarisse would have tried to stop me from getting the flag. So you really helped us back there."

Before Percy could respond, the group carried Naruto once again and started to do another rotation.

After five minutes, the impromptu rotation stopped, and Naruto stood among the many cheering campers, enjoying the festivities.

Until a howl ripped through the forest, and the cheering instantly died down.

Chiron shouted something in Greek, which translated to "Stand ready! My bow!"

The blond saw Annabeth drawing her sword as Percy looked confused while in the direction of the howl.

On the rocks, just above them, was a feral Hellhound, its lava-red eyes glaring menacingly.

Looking straight at Percy.

Naruto reached a hand out as Annabeth yelled for Percy to run.

Too late.

He watched hopelessly, as he saw Percy get shredded through, leaving the boy in a bloody mess, it snarled before swiveled around, locking sights on him. It let out another howl, before charging at the son of Zeus.

He had to something!

Anything!

Wait…

Naruto looked back at his gauntlets, the words of his sire going back to him.

" _Think of a weapon."_

The blond concentrated, he needed a ranged weapon, any ranged weapon!

" _Think! Uzumaki! Think of a ranged weapon!"_

Naruto snapped his eyes open in realization. _"Wait."_

The Hellhound leapt at him before—

The sound of a metallic crack filled the air.

And the Hellhound was sent flying, before dissolving into golden dust.

The campers turned their heads to the direction of the sound.

Naruto stood there, his arms outstretched, holding twin bronze pistols that had lightning bolts on each gun, the barrels smoking slightly.

The son of Zeus noticed this, and the pistols quickly reverted back to his gauntlets.

"Di Immortales!" Annabeth exclaimed, looking pale. "That was a Hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't… They're not supposed to…"

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said, his voice rumbling. "Someone inside camp."

Luke came over, worry on his face.

"It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!" Clarisse yelled angrily.

"Be quiet, child." Chiron coldly told the girl.

"You're wounded," Annabeth looked at Percy. "Quick, get in the water."

"I'm okay." Percy croaked out.

"No, you're not." Annabeth argued sternly. "Chiron, watch this." She urged the trainer.

Percy, with the help of Naruto, stood and the son of Zeus helped him to the creek. The camp surrounding the black haired boy.

Instantly, the cuts on his chest were closing up. Some of the campers gasped. Naruto blinked in surprise, before another unsavory image popped in his head, but forced it away.

He did _not_ want to remember _that_ experience.

The sky child looked up when something appeared above Percy's head and his eyes widened.

This wasn't good…

"Look, I-I don't know why," Percy tried to apologize. "I'm sorry…"

Though they weren't staring at his healing wounds, no, they were staring at something above his head.

"Percy," Annabeth started, pointing above his head, "Um…"

By the time he looked up, the sign was already fading, but he could make out the hologram of green light, gleaming, and spinning. A three-tipped spear.

A trident.

"Your father," Annabeth muttered, looking back and forth between him and Naruto. "This is really not good."

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

All around Percy, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it. Naruto knelt as well.

"My… Father?"

"Poseidon," Chiron answered, "Earthsaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail. Perseus Jackson. Son of the Sea God."

* * *

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions, advice, etc. Anything really.**

 **See ya.**


	7. Lost Days

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The PJO series. Both franchises are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.**

 **Enjoy, Chapter 7 of,**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

 _He felt it._

 _It was like acid. Acid that ripped his skin apart like he was made out of paper, tearing at the seams. He felt it seep in and gets into his eyes and lungs. He felt everything._

 _Everything all at once, and it was too much._

 _Gods! It was too much!_

 _It hurt, his stomach twisted and churned, knots forming._

 _He felt his soul, his spirit, everything escaping from the Underworld and Hades' grasp, forcing him back from the dead._

 _The pain was unbearable, whispers from the damned reached his ears, telling him to hurt._

 _Maim._

 _Harm._

 _KILL._

 _He wanted to scream._

 _But he couldn't._

 _He felt submerged, drowning endlessly in something he couldn't see._

 _He reached his hand upwards to get back to the surface, clawing in the acidic-like liquid he was trapped in, struggling relentlessly to stop the torture he was in._

 _Finally, for what felt like eternity, he felt his hand shot up from the green water and cool air tingling his skin._

 _A hand grabbed his arm, and pulled him out, exposing all of his body into the cool air._

 _He coughed and hacked as he laid on the cold, stone ground, feeling someone laying him on their lap, slim hands holding his back and legs in an attempt to make him comfortable._

 _Despite the pain, he opened his eyes._

 _And blue eyes met green._

 _Long, brown hair cascaded down a beautiful face was the first thing he saw aside from her green eyes._

 _He tried to speak, but the woman shushed him gently as her fingers raked his blond hair soothingly, like a mother would to a child._

" _Do not talk, rest." The woman instructed, her voice soft yet firm._

 _And rest he did._

* * *

The next morning, Percy was moved to Cabin Three by Chiron.

That meant he didn't have to share with anybody. He had plenty of room for his stuff, just one set of clothes and toiletries. He got to sit at his own dinner table, pick all of his activities, call "light's out" whenever he felt like it, and not listen to anybody else.

Simply put, he was miserable.

Just when he started to feel accepted, to feel that he had a home in Cabin Eleven and he might be a normal kid, he'd been cut out as if he was the plague.

Nobody mentioned the hellhound, though the son of Poseidon had a slight suspicion that they were all talking about it behind his back. The attack scared everybody. That made him realize, he was the son of the Sea God; and that monsters would stop at nothing to kill him, just like with Naruto. Going as far as invading camp, a place that was always considered safe for Demigods.

For the first day with Naruto, nothing had happened, so everyone thought it was okay, but with that hellhound, everything had changed. At least his cousin, yes, he had a cousin now, had a few people like Luke from Hermes, Will from Apollo along with some of his siblings, and Annabeth.

He had only one, since the other campers steered clear from him as much as possible.

Annabeth still taught him Greek, but she seemed distracted. Every time he said something wrong, she would scowl at him, as if he offended her or something, then they would argue back and forth. It got so bad that Naruto had to actually be the voice of reason and had to calm both of them down.

He was honestly a little put out that she was _way_ more friendly to Naruto, but the black haired boy shrugged it off.

He wasn't the one with an obvious crush on the son of Zeus.

How Naruto didn't see the signs, Percy didn't know.

Seriously! He couldn't be _that_ dense.

Cabin Eleven was too nervous to have sword class with Naruto after what he did to the Ares kids in the woods, so his lessons became Luke teaching just him and Percy who now joined them. He pushed the two of them harder than ever and was pretty tough on Percy too even though he was a complete newbie, and he wasn't afraid to bruise the two up in the process.

As he worked on his reps and warmup, Percy peered to the side, seeing Luke placing Naruto in front of a set of straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor similar to the way they practiced before. He watched as Luke got him started with advanced techniques in stabbing and slashing. He did it with ease and perfection, as if he done it before. And to be honest, Percy was kinda envious with how his cousin was already advancing faster than him.

But it was to be expected, Percy mused. Despite how short they've known each other, Percy could see that Naruto had done this kind of thing before, and probably mastered it. He'd seen the way the blond hit and fight. Although the son of Poseidon was rather poor when it came to intelligence, Percy was a bit proud to say that he was at least battle smart, which he found out when he studied Naruto during Capture the Flag.

His body screamed that he was angry, but Naruto held it back. Every flip and subtle movement Percy saw the son of Zeus do spoke volumes to him.

Percy snapped out of his musings when he heard Luke call his name, and the black haired boy quickly went to work on the straw-stuffed dummies.

Soon after, the three moved on to sparring, and Percy was picked first, much to the boy's nervousness in facing the scarred blond.

"Don't die, Aqua-lad."

Naruto's comment was not helping.

They had two fast matches, and Percy lost the previous two, currently moving to their third one. The son of Poseidon got his butt handed to him almost immediately once the two matches started, though Luke assured him that he just needed more practice.

Currently, Percy barely dodged a thrust from Luke and used his shield to block a kick. The black haired boy, in return, slashed at the scarred blond, who blocked and sent Percy down with a rough shove.

"Whooo!" Naruto cheered from the sidelines, "Kick his ass!"

"Whose side are you even on?!" Percy yelled as he evaded another slash from Luke.

"The one with the sword." Naruto grinned cheekily.

…

Percy deadpanned, but yelped when he got knocked down and found a sword to his throat.

"You need to focus more, Percy." Luke advised as he got up and gave the younger boy a hand.

"I blame my ADHD." The son of Poseidon groaned, gratefully accepting the older boy's hand as he stood up, rubbing his back.

"We all do, but you need to over-come that if you want to get serious." Luke said seriously. Percy nodded weakly and walked towards the side.

The son of Zeus patted his cousin's back with a grin, "It's okay Aqua-lad. You'll get it soon."

Percy's eye twitched at his nickname, "I hate you."

"Love ya too cuz."

"With all my hate."

On the inside, Percy smiled.

Since the revelation of his sire. Naruto started spending most of his free time hanging out with him or Annabeth, add the time they spent training with each other made Percy question the son of Zeus. He explained that he was an orphan at birth, and he was an outcast at that, so when he found out that he had a cousin, he didn't waste time to get to know him.

That made Percy feel better, knowing that he had someone there for him.

It felt nice.

Naruto laughed, before turning around and jogging towards the sparring space.

* * *

 _Naruto looked down as he sat on his bed, fiddling with the black, pajama looking clothing that the Guards gave him._

 _It was a few days after his resurrection. After the woman—Talia—took him under her care and filled him in._

 _They manage to find his body in the rubble that was once a warehouse. And took him to what she called The "Lazarus Pit"._

 _A pit that could actually resurrect, or prolong one's life. Something that Talia's father, Ra's Al Gul, used to ensure his youth, making him practically immortal._

 _But, it didn't come without a side-effect. Most who would use the pit would usually go insane, crazy, mad._

 _And he felt them._

 _Those who failed to get revived. Their whispers haunting him, urging him to kill the_ _bastard_ _who beat him with a crowbar and left him to die in a warehouse. The bastard that cut a bloody scathe through Richmond and did it with a smile._

 _Naruto wanted to feel anger, any emotion really._

 _But he couldn't._

 _He was numb._

 _Emotionless._

 _Footsteps hit Naruto's ears as the door to his room opened._

 _Talia came inside, followed quickly by a girl. Though, he didn't really look at her, focusing on his clothing._

" _Sit." Talia quietly commanded the girl, gesturing towards the chair that faced Naruto._

 _The girl didn't respond to the command as much as she did to the overwhelming need to get off of her feet. The boy hardly moved, his head looking down, his chest rising and falling, along with him fumbling with is clothing was the only signal that he was living still. His stillness pulled her in, she could feel his body screaming out that he didn't want to be here. It was that feeling of distress that made her sit in the chair._

" _This is Naruto, he needs your help." Talia instructed. The words to attempt communication with the girl though she knew it was futile; she couldn't speak and didn't know as much about language as she did people. It made her feel better; it made the whole situation seem more human. It made it a little less hopeless._

 _The girl could hear Talia leave, but her attention was invested in this boy. She'd never seen anything like this, someone so alive but so… emotionless. She glanced down at his hands that continued to hold the cloth of his outfit, and used her hand to hold both of his hands and almost immediately, color flooded his cheeks._

 _In a corner of the room, someone was observing the interaction and took notes_ _on the change. It was the first they'd seen in him since he'd arrived._

 _Since his resurrection, Naruto felt something in his chest._

 _There was something about this girl that made him … feel._

 _All he could think about was how much he wanted to just be able to see her face; if he could just manage to turn his head. He stopped concentrating on this thought when he felt her fingers brush over his cheek. It was… strange; he'd forgotten what this type of contact was like. Every now and then Talia had tried to hold him, but there was something missing. This felt genuine, it felt different._

 _He wanted more of that feeling he got when she touched him, it made breathing a little easier. He was slowly becoming aware of his head turning towards her, guided by her hand._

 _Another note was written down by the man at the corner of the room. He'd always either been too stiff, or was just generally blank and emotionless when someone touched him._

 _He was surprised when he was able to look at her. He'd expected someone older than himself, another expert that Talia had sent to figure out how to "fix" him, not this girl._

 _She was small, but around his age. He noticed little things like her lips at first and the way they curved in the middle. Her eyes gave away her background, but they were a warm brown rather than the muddy brown he was used to seeing. He scanned over what he could see of her and noticed a few wounds; scarred over and fresh. Her hair was jet black and framed her face, it strangely fit her. Beyond that everything about her was … soft and comforting to him._

 _His eyes flashed back to the wounds and she could feel his distress over them. She was quicker to rest her hand on his arm this time, she knew it was the best way to let him know what's going on. It didn't seem to make him feel better, she sensed frustration and his body's screaming again. Emotionless. He couldn't feel anything. His breathing quickened._

 _He felt suffocated._

 _Panic rushed through her for a moment and she was afraid she'd lose him._

 _She liked him; liked being able to converse with him, it made her feel a little less lonely; a little more relaxed. The last thing she wanted right now is to lose that so quickly._

 _The girl moved her hand from his arm to the center of his chest, pressing down just a little. He moved his gaze from the wounds to her eyes again. His breathing slowed down and she smiled._

 _They heard footsteps; Naruto found he couldn't move his eyes away from her. He didn't mind so much, she made him feel something. She knew they'd come to get her, who knew how long she'd been here with this boy. She balled her fingers into a fist on his chest, slowly uncurling them and hoped he understood._

 _She would be back._

* * *

"Ready for this Luke?" Naruto asked with a smirk, his gauntlets shifting to his blades. At the other side, Luke held up his sword and shield before going into a stance.

"Ready if you are."

Then the son of Hermes quickly moved.

* * *

 _It was hard to tell how he knew, but something in his body told him it was time for the part of the day he actually looked forward to. Even though it had become routine, Naruto would experience a rush of something every time it happened. It being the point during the day when she would visit._

 _He always felt something every second she was in that room with him. It was nice having someone who could understand him. Though she couldn't speak he had a feeling she appreciated having someone who knew what she was trying to say. According to those observing them, their sessions were helping the two of them progress; Naruto didn't doubt their findings._

 _But Naruto felt tense… Something was off._

 _She should be here by now, right?_

 _Did something in her training went wrong?_

 _He felt his breathing quickening as one thought led to another._

 _What if Ra's decided he didn't need her anymore?_

 _His panicking ceased._

 _What if Talia was keeping her from him?_

 _Naruto quickly stood up with one goal._

 _Find her._

 _He'd been outside of his room many times, for training and observation, but the hallways and doors looked entirely foreign to him. The layout was confusing and most of the doors were locked._

 _He didn't really understand why anyone would need so many doors anyways._

 _Despite this, he bumbled through the doors and hallway with slight desperation, a small and familiar, yet at the same time foreign, tightening in his chest._

 _After what a few minutes of searching, he found himself in another hallway._

 _This door was open._

 _He rushed inside and almost toppled over in the rush._

 _And he saw her._

 _She was sitting on her bed, her back to the door, and looking out the window the bed was pressed against. He felt his body relax, the pain in his head dissipate. His feet were carrying him on their own, his mind somewhere else, until he dropped to the floor and sat down. His legs crossed and she turned slowly, sensing that someone was in the room. Her expression was calm, but her nose wrinkled the way it might if she were to laugh, and the way her eyes lit up made Naruto feel something._

 _It was surprising that she didn't considering him looking like a puppy who'd found his way home._

 _Her feet quickly found the floor. And she soon sat down across from him. She took his hand and formed hers into a fist before pushing it into his palm. It was something quirky she did, if either of them could speak he would ask her why she does it, but that wasn't possible or important._

 _Naruto felt the corners of his mouth twitch, his felt a pang of emotion spread in his chest, though it didn't feel painful or tiring._

 _It felt… Nice._

 _She smiled in return and wriggled a bit in her spot, clearly excited. Warmth spread across his face and the feeling returned, but it was stronger._

 _Standing by the door way, Talia looked smug as she glanced at her father, smug that she'd proven the girl does actually help the boy progress. Ra's watched the interaction silently, ignoring his daughter's face._

 _Yes… This could work._

 _Every now and again she would reach out to touch him or brush away the hair from his eyes. When she did she'd run her fingers through his hair and tickle his scalp. He'd shudder, his nerves waking up. She saw something change in his eyes; disappointment. Instinctively she looked over her shoulder to see the sun falling slowly in the sky._

 _The sun fell and always the two knew they would be separated again. In the morning they would wake. She would be off to another training session, he would also do his training and wait for the physicians to poke and prod him. He thought it was ridiculous that they were still around, but Talia seemed to think it was still necessary._

 _His chest felt tight again, he didn't want to face whatever his sleeping mind was going to show him._

 _The hideous grin and twisting, deranged purple eyes always stared back at him in his sleep._

 _Naruto didn't knew he was trembling, only when the girl silently pulled herself close to him, her head resting on his chest as he started to calm down._

 _She placed her palm over his heart and curled it into a fist._

 _He wondered for a moment why it was always the fist when they said hello or goodbye. He knew what she meant though._

 _I'll be back. You can get through this._

 _I believe in you._

* * *

Luke grunted, and dodged a thrust from Naruto. But he didn't notice the younger blond's kick, which sent him skidding back a bit.

Analyzing his movements told a lot but not nearly as much as Luke wanted to know. He had been trained to fight by several people. He could see the imprints of various fighting styles that he had seen from modern martial arts to training the more militaristic children of Ares' had before being sent to camp. Luke saw that Naruto had blended their styles and added—he didn't know what to call it. There was control in his movements but also—recklessness?

Maybe that was it. Naruto didn't plan out his moves.

Everything was done on _instinct_.

Naturally all Demigods knew how to fight, it was in their blood to fight, it was natural.

But this was more than instinct, Luke could see it in Naruto.

He was angry. Luke had never seen so much anger and violence in a person. His anger drove him, consumed him, and made him strong.

Yet, the son of Hermes could see that Naruto held back, a lot.

There was no denying it. Naruto used his anger to deepen the blows and harden himself to those he fought, despite him holding back and pulling his punches. He was fast too. Every movement was a part of him.

Just what did his pseudo little brother do during those six years?

* * *

 _Ever since Talia pulled her separation stunt on the two it was decided that the best thing for everyone was not to disrupt the schedule that had been set for so long. The girl padded down the hallway for her usual visit to Naruto's room._

 _It seemed this week Ra's wanted to push her to her limits. Since she felt a bit more exhausted than her previous sessions. She felt like he was preparing her for something._

 _But that didn't stop her, she still continued to Naruto's room. When she entered his room, she smiled._

 _But her expression changed quickly._

 _His bed was empty._

 _She knew he was in no condition to leave his room. She found that out when Guards told how the blond boy seemed to push himself more in his training, just so that he could see her. But it seemed he bit more than he could chew, and was confined to his bed. Talia made sure of that._

 _So she ran back down the hallway to find Talia; she would be the only other person who might know where he was. As she did she stopped in front of a room that she hadn't taken the time to look at before. Talia was wrapping a type of head scarf around a boy's head. He was clothed in a long tunic and seemed rather rigid. She stood in the doorway, watching and trying to figure out what was going on._

 _She watched as Talia hugged the blond, as would a mother do to her son._

" _Oh, Naruto," Talia sighed, dropping her arms to her sides, "I know this idea is a little scary, but it's all I've got."_

 _The girl's eyes widened. She recognized the sound of his name. Talia had said it so many times to her that it was almost impossible not to associate his face with the sound. Talia turned, grabbing Naruto's wrist to lead him out of the room and saw the girl._

" _Of course, you'd come looking for him."_

 _Talia pushed past her and the girl read everything she could within seconds. Talia was angry and determined, yet concerned, much like she had been the first time she brought the girl to see Naruto. The boy on the other hand, was still emotionless and blank as ever, but she could see hints of confusion and nervousness. She made a quick decision to follow them, to make sure he'd be okay._

 _They came to a room that both Naruto and the girl recognized; well they recognized the door anyways. It was grand and always locked; they were always steered away from it. Now, Talia was heading straight for it. When they entered the air felt hot and dry and the walls looked like a mix between a cavern and a sacrificial chamber. A pool of glowing, sickish green liquid filled most of the room and seemed to be the source of heat._

 _Naruto looked at the liquid with familiarity, but still his blank look remained._

 _Talia had a look of regret as she put her hands on Naruto's shoulders. "I'm sorry…" She muttered._

 _And pushed him into the liquid._

 _As if she had predicted the girl's next actions Talia held her back with her hands._

" _This will be good for him, but I'm not so sure it'll help you." Talia's voice held a bit of pain as she continued to hold the struggling girl back._

 _The girl watched in horror as Naruto sunk into the liquid once more, waiting to see if he rose again._

 _It took time, but eventually he broke the surface, screaming in agony._

 _The last thing she saw before Talia shut her from the room was his pained face._

 _His emotions returned, but the screams and whispers of those who failed to be revived haunted him once again._

* * *

 _It was months before she would see him again. She had improved greatly in her skills, but once training was over she would take her meals in her room or stare out the window by her bed. His pain still scratched its way to the front of her mind every day._

 _Today was another training session. She didn't know why but these sessions more or less, started to irritate her. The various men and women who she sparred with were quickly beaten by her as if they were the child and she, the adult._

 _Was Ra's even trying anymore?_

 _Still she made her way to the training ground, prepared for what the old man would throw at her._

 _Her breathing quickened and her chest swelled in happiness when she saw who she was up against._

" _Hi." Naruto spoke quietly, his face no longer emotionless or dull, but filled with joy when he saw her._

 _Her eyes widened, his voice was deep with a small rumble to it that seemed to come from his throat._

" _Still can't talk, huh?" He moved forward and sat down, crossed legged._

 _She did the same as she took time to observe him better._

 _She noticed he'd grown taller, more developed._

 _He was so familiar but so . . . different._

" _You've changed." He looked her up and down._

 _She felt nervous around him now; his body was telling her what he was thinking._

 _You've grown up too._

 _He looked frustrated as she sat down close to him, staring into his eyes, and trying to come to grips with the idea that he was the same boy burning in the pit._

" _Maybe I can try to teach you how to talk. I can't read you so well now . . ."_

 _She liked the sound of his voice, it was soothing. His words sounded stressed though._

" _Can you say my name? You've heard it enough."_

 _Her face scrunched up, trying to understand him._

" _Naruto, can you say Naruto?"_

 _She smiled, she recognized that sound. That was what he was called._

 _He pointed to her trying to convey that she should try it out._

 _She struggled, only able to say "ah"._

 _Still he smiled, surprised to hear any sound come from her at all. He tried over and over again for her to get it, but even in pieces the vowels seemed to be the only thing she could get. He bit his lip and noticed how intently she watched his mouth, like she was trying to figure out how it made so many interesting sounds._

 _Suddenly, he lit up, his whiskered cheeks going into a grin that made her feel warmth inside._

" _I've got it."_

 _He reached to take hold of her hands again, bringing them to his jaw and mouth._

" _Naruto." He spoke slowly, moving her fingers so that she could feel the way he made the word come out._

" _Narhu…" She spoke as slowly as he had, her nose wrinkled, not quite getting it._

 _He squeezed her hands, lowering them to his chest and smiled. She smiled back, knowing she'd done something he liked._

" _That's pretty good actually." She traced her fingers over his lips, "Enough talking?" he raised an eyebrow. Heat spread through his face the way it always did when she was around._

" _Your names Cassandra right?" He asked, his head tilting akin to that of a fox._

 _She nodded silently._

 _He grinned again, "You have a pretty name! Cassie-chan!"_

 _She wriggled a bit as she smiled, lowering her hand to his chest and curling it into a fist. It was like those moments in his room again. Silent, but not quiet. He thought for a moment what that fist could mean now. Something told him though._

 _You're strong. You've made it._

 _Both heard the gates to the side open, and the two quickly stood up and ran at the opposite direction before facing each other._

 _Talia, along with her father and guards filled the room and stood in the sidelines._

" _Are you two ready?"_

 _Naruto and Cassandra nodded, before they took a fighting stance._

" _Don't hold back, Cassie-chan!"_

 _She smiled as he said her name._

 _She didn't know why, but she like the way he said it._

 _They stared at each other._

" _Begin!"_

 _As soon as Talia began the spar, Cassandra lunged…_

* * *

… And Naruto blocked the punch Luke aimed his way.

The son of Hermes was down a sword, and his shield was the only weapon he had.

Luke attempted to bash his shield to Naruto's face, but the son of Zeus grabbed the edges of the shield with both of his hands and flipped over him.

Luke growled and swiped at him with his shield only for Naruto to duck and send a hard uppercut to the chin.

The scarred blond was sent flying and landed on his rear.

Naruto smirked, "Looks like _I_ win!" He boasted proudly as he helped the son of Hermes up.

The older blond rolled his eyes playfully, "Still got that cocky attitude I see?" He countered.

The sky child grinned. "You know it!"

"Yo! Percy, Naru!" Grover called out as he walked towards the arena.

Percy looked at Grover as he stretched. "You need something Groves?"

"Yeah, Mr. D wants to see you both."

* * *

 **Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, Kwanzza, and all that jazz.**

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions, advice, etc. Anything really.**

 **See ya.**


	8. Quest

**The pairings are still undecided for now, however there are choices for which girl you want Naruto to end up with.**

* * *

 **Current choices (for now):**

 **Annabeth Chase**

 **Cassandra Cain**

 **Barbara Gordon**

* * *

 **You can leave your own suggestion in the reviews. But the reason has to be good.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The PJO series. Both franchises are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.**

 **Enjoy, Chapter 8 of,**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

 **3 Years Ago…**

* * *

 _ **Naruto's POV**_

 _I sighed, running a hand through my hair in frustration as I stared at the paper at my desk._

 _Math sucked ass._

 _It had been a full three years since Jiraiya, or what I call him "Pervy Sage", dropped me back on good ol' Richmond after two and a half years of training, so that, in the Pervert's words, "Try a hand in a normal life"._

 _Pfft, yeah right._

 _What Demigod had a normal life?_

 _Regardless, the man insisted and made me go on a program for orphans like me by an old friend of his._

 _Who is his friend you ask? Well, it's none other than Bruce. Fucking. Wayne._

 _That's right; the billionaire playboy that's been funding charities and programs similar to these left and right. Cause he can._

 _How Jiraiya managed to befriend one of the most arguably richest people was beyond me._

 _Anyway, I joined the program (more like forced to, but eh,) and was provided a home, food, and education._

 _I lived at the school, but instead of treating it like a prison I couldn't escape from, I decided to treat it like an opportunity. Pervy Sage never really stayed in Richmond that long when he visited me from time to time, his excuse was that Richmond's gravity made it too hard to leave, so he would usually stay here for two days to one week at best, before moving on._

 _His loss I guess._

 _After a few months, I met the man himself. Bruce Wayne._

 _He had personally paid for all the opportunities that were now in front of me. I had one idea why he'd help me, and I owed him big time for that._

 _He and Jiraiya changed my life._

 _Still, something didn't feel right with the guy. The playboy was definitely hiding something._

 _Though I wasn't thinking of that, at least, not now. For now I was alternating my glares to the laptop and paper in front of me. Hoping one or both would catch fire._

 _Let me repeat, Math. Sucked. Ass._

 _Still, it was a bit nice to have normalcy once in a while._

 _Sure a monster would attack every now and then, but it didn't really break my immersion for a normal life._

 _In fact, I just encountered one three weeks ago, well the guy I fought isn't technically a monster in Demigod terms, but that guy sure was a prick._

* * *

 _I was just heading back after getting some books for my class and all of a sudden, the Batman came flying out the alley way I was about to pass._

 _That's right, the goddamned (or in my case, gods-damned) Batman. The hero, vigilante, over-grown rodent, the Bat, you chose what you want to call this guy._

 _I watched as he crashed on a few trashcans to my left before slipping away from consciousness._

 _And then a new voice hit my ears, "Yo, little help from a kind stranger!"_

 _I turned around, and I saw one of the freaks that started terrorizing Richmond after I disappeared and the Batman to show up. And to my luck, it was that clown._

 _The Joker._

 _Almost everyone in the city, me included, knew this guy from the crap that he pulled a few Christmases earlier. I personally wasn't there, training with Pervy Sage and all, but I saw the news a few years back._

 _And I gotta say, this guy was true to almost every word that people I knew described him as._

 _To sum it all up, he was terrifying as fuck._

 _The deranged purple eyes seemed to swirl as his hideous red lips were curled to a permanent grin, his purple attire crinkled from the straps that was placed on his chest which connected to a green mech._

" _I think I dropped something!" I remember him say._

 _My pupils dilated when I saw his mech's machine gun hand thingy started spinning and I quickly acted and pushed me and the Bat away from the gunfire. "Hey! Hands off my stuff!" I heard him exclaim._

 _Don't know what got into me, maybe it was the blood in me to be a hero…_

 _But in that moment it was just pretty damn clear…_

… _That clown was straight-up bad news._

 _I barely managed to get the Bat and me out of the gunfire but I was thankful that I made it in time._

" _Don't ya get it Junior?!" Joker called out from the mech, "I knocked HIM out, that's huge for me! First time in months!" He cackled._

" _I mean, if I now gotta take time killing you too…" He released another barrage of bullets in front of him. "Well, let's just say you can get too much of a good thing!"_

" _Stupid Bat, why here of all places!?" I grumbled as I dragged the man with minimal effort down a few stairs to avoid the hail of bullets._

 _I immediately checked the guy's utility belt, finally, I managed to find some sort of gun shaped thing in one of the pouches._

 _Was it a gun?_

 _Nah, from what I heard, no one ever saw the Bat ever use guns. Period. So I crossed him out the line._

 _Still I needed to get that clown freak down somehow, so I took it without hesitance, "I hope this thing does something cool while I do all the hard work._

 _I sprinted out of the stairs, and ran towards the clown at full speed with the Bat-something in my hands._

 _The Joker seemed amused by my bold action and laughed, "You're fast kid! But going serpentine ain't gonna save ya!" He cackled and fired more bullets._

 _Naruto glared, and aimed the gadget he was holding carefully._

 _Before he pulled the trigger._

 _A steel claw attached to a rope shot out from the gadget and latched on the top bar of the Joker's mech._

 _I wasted no time and slid underneath the mech as it fired._

 _The insane clown looked confused, "Hey, Junior, where are you run—"_

" _Should have stayed off near the school block, teme!" I shouted as the mech toppled over, slamming the Joker on the ground as he laid there, trapped inside the destroyed mech._

 _I landed on the heap of painted metal as he laughed insanely, "How does this Bat get so many kids working for him? Must be the cape!" He guessed as he coughed out a bit of blood._

 _I scowled and took out a spare Kunai that I kept hidden at all times and put the tip of my Kunai at the side of his forehead. "Never depend on machines I always say—" He said, as if I wasn't pointing a fucking knife to his head. "They'll screw us to the end!"_

 _I stayed silent as his eyes looked at me._

"… _Is he your Daddy?"_

 _I was about to respond, before a bat-shaped boomerang hit my hand which caused me to drop my Kunai._

 _Naturally, I cried out in pain, and swiveled my gaze towards the asshole who hit me._

 _That asshole happened to be the Bat._

 _He looked at me with narrowed eyes as he stood up. Jeez, even when he looks like shit, he still looks intimidating (and awesome)._

" _Don't pick it up."_

 _I grunted in response, nursing my hand while the Bat picked the Joker up by his jacket. The Joker didn't seem to mind, before his eyes turned to me again, "Looks like I gotta go, but don't worry kid, I'll never forget ya. I got this thing for faces. Especially ones with whiskers on 'em." I edged away a bit when the clown started cackling as if he heard a really funny joke._

 _The Bat seemed to had enough with the clown's shit (to be honest I am too)._

" _Shut up." He said harshly before punching the clown's light's out._

 _That looked satisfying._

 _I jumped off the pile of metal as the Bat thanked me while he threw the Joker on the ground, "Thanks for your help."_

 _I waved it off as I fixed my orange jacket, "Yeah right, no problem, one hand washes the other –Ttebayo."_

" _You're forgetting something."_

 _I whipped my head around._

 _And saw the Bat holding my bag and my Kunai._

… _Well shit._

* * *

 _I got busted as a minor for weapon charges. Which gave me a record and detention, which always sucked. Add to the fact that Barbara, a cute red headed friend of mine, kept lecturing me throughout the whole week about "Being responsible" and all that, which also sucked._

 _As I say, "All work and no play makes Barbara Gordon a dull girl"._

 _She punched me for that, which hurt like you wouldn't believe it, but it was still worth it._

 _After that, Exams came in and I had to study for the weekend, and nothing happened between then and now, which gave me hope that I could still have some normal in my life._

 _Well that all's gonna change._

 _I tapped my pencil on my forehead repeatedly as I stared at the problem in front of me. Man, I wish Annie or Barbara was with me, they'd probably be finished with this in no time flat! Unfortunately, Annie's in camp, and Barbie's also studying. Which sucks. But fear not! For Naruto Uzumaki would prevail and defeat this mighty foe! Now, if I could just—_

" _I owe you."_

" _YAHH!"_

 _I dropped my pencil and nearly fell of my seat when the voice startled me. I swiveled my chair and faced the asshole who intruded into my room._

… _That asshole was Batman, again._

 _What is it with this guy?!_

 _I stood up in anger and faced him, "What in Hades do you want now? I already got arrested for the weapon, and got detention too! I'm squeaky clean." Batman rose an eyebrow at the mention of the Greek God but I was too angry (rightfully so) to care, "Can't you leave me alone?"_

" _Be quiet. Before your mouth makes me change my mind." He ordered, which I reluctantly did._

" _It's a one night tryout." With that he threw me a plain box which I caught easily in my hands. I opened it, and my eyes grew wide in shock._

 _Inside the box was a robin suit, complete with a grappling gun, a utility belt and everything!_

 _Barbara is so gonna be jealous._

" _Let's see if you can impress me more than you did three weeks ago."_

* * *

 _I rolled my shoulders as I stood atop the school rooftop and breathed in fresh air with a grin on my face. I now wore a red and black sleeved body suit with light armor, the sleeves of my suit not showing skin, and the red parts of my suit acting as light armor for protection. My eyes hidden by a black mask which also covered my whisker marks as to protect my identity. I put the hood over my head to hide my blond hair, leaving only my bangs to frame my face._ _ **(1)**_

 _I heard a silent thud and turned around to see my soon-to-be mentor, "Ready to go, Robin?" He asked, to which I smirked, "Don't need to ask old man!" And with that, both of us took out our respective grappling guns and took off to the night sky._

 _I whooped as I ran on Richmond's buildings with an excited tingle in my chest. The winds seemed to agree as the cold night air tingled my covered skin. On the side, Batman also ran with me, watching me evidently as he did._

 _Taking out my grappling gun, I fired and soon found myself on top of a gargoyle, Batman landing on another. I looked around the bustling city that was Richmond, the honks of cars, the rustling of trees, and the general atmosphere that the city gave, "This. Is so awesome." I muttered quietly._

 _From the side, Batman looked at me sternly, "Focus, Robin." He said, and I nodded before crouching down on the gargoyle, "Scout the area, see if any things amiss." My mentor instructed. Taking out my binoculars and did what I was told._

 _A gunshot rang out to our right side._

 _Immediately, I looked in that direction and lowered my binoculars, "Sounded like it came from downtown Richmond." Batman nodded and looked at me._

" _You know what to do."_

 _I smirked._

 _I leapt with no hesitation and fired my grapple and swung to the origin of the gunshot, Batman observing my every move. Soon enough, I landed just a few blocks away from the sound and ran across the rooftops, crossing a ten foot gap with ease. I ran for a few more blocks before spotting the two scum-bags down on the street below. They rounded the corner of a building, and I quickly raced ahead of them._

 _I jumped and flipped in mid-air before landing on a fire escape on the next building. I ran to the edge and leapt to the next rooftop, landing with a perfect summersault._

 _Eventually, they stopped at a warehouse, I quickly landed to a building across from it, watching as the two thugs entered rather hastily. I turned my head to Batman, "What do we do now?"_

 _He narrowed his eyes, and his cowl's lenses lit up. He stayed silent for a moment before he looked at me, "Seven thugs, unarmed, all guarding stocked weapons." He noted._

" _So let's beat their lights out!" I grinned, and prepared to jump only for him to grasp my shoulder, "No. We need to get closer and plan out an attack, you can't just barge in." He advised._

 _I nodded sheepishly and both of us swung to the warehouse rooftop. We both crouched down and looked down at the several thugs that roamed the warehouse._

 _He spotted a destroyed window and pointed at it. "Robin, take out the guards at that side, while I take out the guards from the other and destroy their supply." I nodded and walked to the destroyed window before jumping down, careful not to make a sound._

 _I quickly spotted a beam and grabbed a hold of it as I fell down. I gripped the metal bean and flipped, before landing on a crate. I quickly landed on the ground quietly and took out the closest guy near me by chopping him on the neck. "One down…" I murmured silently._

" _Yo, Mikey! You done yet?" A new voice called out from the side. I cursed before moving to the side, taking cover behind the crates. "Woah- Mikey? You all right?" The voice asked, he started to say…_

 _Before a punch to the face knocked him out cold._

" _Two down…"_

 _After hiding the unconscious bodies, I proceeded with my order and knocked three more thugs who all lie on the ground._

 _I took out my grappling gun and aimed at a metal beam from the other side of the warehouse before firing, landing on the beam. I whistled when I saw my soon-to-be mentor putting some kind of gel on each crate before giving me the signal._

 _This is going to be fun._

 _After the first thug walked past, he dropped from the landing on the first with both feet._

" _George!" The second one, shouted. I quickly moved and disarmed him and then slammed the second thug on a nearby crate. The second one fell, his eyes rolled to his head._

" _Hey!" I widen my eyes, then back flipped from an incoming hit from a thug. I took a batarang from my pouch and threw multiple batarangs to the thug._

 _The third thug eyes dilated when he saw the gadget, "Shit." He cursed before running towards a weapon cache and tried to open it._

 _Only to get knocked back from the explosion._

 _The third guy rolled over the ground holding his head and stomach. I walked towards him before placing my boot on his head._

 _Then promptly knocked him out._

" _You little shit!"_

 _Uh Oh._

 _I ducked over a kick, before sending one of my own and the uppercutted the last one, sending him down to the ground._

 _Who's a badass ten year old? I am –Ttebayo!_

" _Impressive."_

 _I faced my Mentor and grinned, "But the nights still young." I pouted when he cut off my celebration._

" _We still have work to do."_

 _With that, we tied up the criminals, sent an anonymous call to the police and left the warehouse._

 _That first night changed everything for me._

 _From the moment I dawned the "Robin" costume. I knew I would never go back to a normal life._

 _I'd never let the weight of the world drive me down to the dirty streets._

 _Richmond's gravity could be heavy; sure… But fighting against it, pushing against it…_

 _What doesn't kill you make you stronger._

* * *

 **Third POV**

During their walk to the Big House. Over the Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in their direction. Percy asked Grover if they needed an umbrella _._

"No," The Satyr shook his head. "It never rains unless we really want it to."

Percy pointed at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?"

Grover glanced at the sky uneasily as he answered, "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."

"Looks like someone's in the mood… " Naruto dryly mused, Grover gained a nervous look as a thunder clap boomed. Like the sky itself was offended by the comment.

Naruto deadpanned at the sky, "Tell me if I'm wrong." He asked the sky.

…

…

…

Instead of a boom. A rumble was heard.

The son of Zeus smirked, "Thought so." He said triumphantly before he furrowed his eyebrows. "But now that I think about it… Grover's right." He muttered to himself mostly.

This storm. It was huge. It was different than the storms he would usually see. Did had something to do with Zeus?

Probably.

At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Castor and Pollux were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense.

They all kept their eyes on the storm.

The three walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on their first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents, two sets of cards hovering in the air.

"Well, well," Mr. D drawled without looking up. "If it ain't our little celebrities."

Both pre-teens tensed. Naruto crossed his arms and shifted uncomfortably as they waited. Percy glanced at his cousin, noticing his tense body and his eyes darting everywhere. No doubt to plan out any escape should it come to that.

"Come closer." Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to go kowtow to you, mortal. Just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father." He glared at Percy.

A flash of lightning streaked across the clouds outside, the light briefly throwing Mr. D's face into sharp relief, highlighting his brilliant purple eyes; even as a strong wind screamed through camp, rattling the windows.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus drowned out whatever Zeus was saying through the storm.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. While Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"If I had my way," Dionysus started, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this accursed camp; to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron reminded the God.

"Nonsense," Dionysus waved it off. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"Mr. D—" The Centaur warned.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented as he sighed. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus stood up, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do." He warned.

Dionysus eyes went to his half-mortal-brother, who tensed at his look. "Oh, calm down brat. You act as if you're going to be executed tomorrow." He mocked with a grin.

Naruto's form didn't waver, to which Dionysus rolled his eyes at, "Great, he has his paranoia…" The God muttered to himself.

The God picked up a playing card, and then twisted it, which became a plastic triangle. Its appearance akin to a credit card or a keycard.

He snapped his fingers.

The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a gust of wind, and then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiled at the two Demigods, but anyone could see that he was tired and stressed. "Sit. Naruto, Percy, please; Grover you too."

Percy and Grover complied, except for the son of Zeus, whose eyes looked distrustful.

Chiron sighed, he had heard a few of Naruto's comments on his and Percy's situation, so his current lack of faith was somewhat expected, "Naruto, please, they are not going to kill you. However, an issue of great importance has arisen."

Chiron laid his cards on the table, as Naruto tensely took his sit next to him.

"Tell me, both of you," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Just hearing the name made Percy shudder. Naruto frowned, looking down.

"It scared me," Percy said honestly. "If you hadn't shot it, who knows what would have happened."

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I've already faced things far worse than that before… I don't know why I hesitated. If I didn't snap out of my funk a second too late; I would have been…"

Chiron gave a sad smile at that. There was nothing to be ashamed of; many of the other campers were shocked at seeing it too. "You'll meet worse, you two. Far worse, before you're done."

"Tell me something I don't know…" Naruto said darkly.

"Done… With what?" Percy asked, hesitant.

Naruto looked up, "Probably has to do with that." He guessed, jerking his head towards the rumbling and darkening skies that filled the valley.

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?" Chiron asked Percy.

The son of Poseidon glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers.

"Um, sir." Percy started, "You haven't told me what it is yet."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part. The details."

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as they could see, the sky and the sea were melding together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable ... something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.

The Centaur sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

Percy looked flustered. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And ... I've also been having these dreams." He explained.

Naruto nodded, "It's true, our sires are fighting over something, I think it was why we were claimed." He said, some bitterness in his tone.

"I knew it," Grover said.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.

"But it is his quest! Or even his!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement while he pointed at the sons of the Big Three. "It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine that." Chiron said as he stroked his white beard. "Nevertheless, both of you are correct. Your fathers are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughed nervously. "A what?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "No fucking way, are you serious?" He demanded.

He knew what was already taken.

The blond heard stories about his father's weapon. A lightning bolt, his most prized tool.

One that, alongside the shield Aegis, had been in many stories. He knew for a fact that Thalia had a copy of the famed shield that could scare monsters and demigods alike.

"Language, Mr. Uzumaki." Chiron frowned at the blond before turning to Percy, "Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned Percy. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"How in the _fuck_ does he _lose_ that thing?!" Naruto asked himself in a whisper, voice full of disbelief. What, he fucking leave it beside his golden toilet or something?

"Oh." Percy said dumbly.

"Zeus' master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheared the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"… And it's missing?" Percy asked with a gulp.

"Stolen," Chiron corrected.

"By who?"

"By whom," Chiron corrected again. "By you." His finger led to Percy.

Percy gaped.

Naruto openly laughed. "We are still talking about Percy right?" He said between chuckles. Guy doesn't know how to steal if his life depended on it.

"At least"-Chiron held up a hand-"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't-" Percy tried to say.

"Patience, and listen, child," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."

"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!" Percy exclaimed.

Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around them, as The Satyr had promised. They were rolling straight over the valley, sealing the area in like a coffin lid.

"Er, Percy ...?" Grover started nervously. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"More like paranoid…" Naruto suggested. He had the experience of knowing paranoid people. Bruce, for example, and then there's himself, _"Which I got from Dad."_ He thought. "Still. Didn't Uncle Poseidon tried to unseat Zeus before?" Naruto asked.

Chiron nodded, "Correct." He looked at Percy, "I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam..."

"Something about a golden net?" Percy guessed in a rare bout of remembrance. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods ...they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"

"Also correct," Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along-the proverbial last straw."

"But I'm just a kid!" Percy argued.

"Do you really think they'd care, Percy?" Naruto grunted out. They're gods for fucks sake, they wouldn't, they think you crossed them and they'll gun for you. It happened all the time in the legends.

"Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

Naruto snorted with an eye roll, "Kinda hypocritical don't you think? Considering he sired two already, one before Poseidon and another after, mind you." He spoke in a dry tone. He was born in early October while Percy was born in mid-August.

Pot meet kettle.

Grover looked sheepish at that.

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon-my dad-he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" The water child reasoned

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper and Naruto's has raised Poseidon's in turn at the hypocrisy of it all." The Centaur explained.

"Now, neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"

"… Bad?" Percy guessed with a worried look.

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad." Percy repeated with a frown.

"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

Rain started pouring. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.

Percy's frown deepened, he had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of him. He was furious.

"So I have to find the stupid bolt," Percy started with narrowed eyes. "And return it to Zeus."

"To be honest with you both, when Naruto was first claimed, I had the intention of sending him on this quest." The trainer admitted, getting the sky child to look at him sharply, "Forgive me for being crude lad, but what other time would Zeus openly admit to siring a second hero after breaking the oath the first time, then to have claimed you when he needed you most?" he asked the blond.

Naruto jaws tightened, knuckles white, but he let out a bark of laughter. Why the fuck was he even surprised? He was more or less a 'mistake' in this system right now.

Looks like he wasn't one, but two of people's mistakes.

"Honestly? I asked him what he wanted from me my first night in the cabin. Of course; he never said, but here it is." Naruto said low tone, "And even then, he gets someone else to do it to appease him. Fan-fucking-tastic." He rolled his eyes before glowering in his seat.

The Centaur sighed and turned to Percy, "What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?" the green eyed boy asked questioningly.

"I believe I know." Chiron's expression changed to grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago ... well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?" Percy asked, not liking where this was going.

Well, even less than he already did that is.

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

Percy gulped.

The son of Poseidon turned to his best friend, who smiled encouragingly.

"All right," Percy said with a stiff nod. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

The black haired boy nodded, and ascended the stairs.

Naruto's brows furrowed. A part of him was angry. In his mind, he was, no matter how arrogant it sounded, better then Percy. Yeah, in time he would be good, the son of Zeus could tell, but he was still confused by all this. Naruto on the other hand, knew better than him, trained better than him, and overall was just better equipped for the responsibility of a quest like this, especially one this important, at the moment.

Naruto was trained by the best of the best.

He was trained by the League of Assassins, Batman, and Lady Shiva. People who could take on the entire camp and win.

It was his sire's symbol, why should Percy be the one to look for it?

Just as the blond stood up, Chiron's voice stopped him, "If you're thinking about leaving, Mr. Uzumaki, Lord Zeus also wishes for you to be on this quest… As much as I disagree on this decision."

The son of Zeus rose an eyebrow, "Why are you against it?"

Chiron sighed, "Percy is allowed two additional members on his quest. So normally a quest is done in a group of three. While Percy is allowed his group, your father wishes for you to go along so _'When Poseidon's spawn fails; my son will pick up the slack.'_ " Chiron finger quoted. "His words not mine."

The blond rolled his eyes, _"Gee Dad, don't you have an ego."_

Then again, the same could be said for him.

The Centaur sighed, "Three is a sacred and magical number you see, anymore on a quest could mean catastrophe, but Lord Zeus insisted on it."

"How … encouraging." Naruto commented with a dry tone, "This more or less sounds like he doesn't want his child shown up by his brother's."

The blond waited for the thunder…

…

…

" _Aw, no more booms, Dad?"_

Chiron gave a smile, "I might agree with you, but it isn't my place to question the King of Gods."

After a few minutes of small talk, the son of Poseidon finally came back from the attic.

"Well?" Chiron asked.

"She said I would have to retrieve what was stolen."

Grover leaned forward, "That's great!'

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron insisted, "This is important.

Percy shivered a bit and shook his head. "She... She said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"Knew it." Grover said a little bit smug.

However The Centaur didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?" he asked sternly, clearly wanting everything.

Percy looked around nervously. Afraid to say.

What friend would betray him?

He didn't have that many friends… Could Naruto, no, he shook his head. No, he was in on this just as much as he was…man he hoped he was right.

Naruto glanced at Percy when he saw the distress on his face before shrugging.

Chiron studied Percy's face too. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

"Okay," Percy said. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guessed.

Naruto, however, did not looked amused.

Not. At. All.

His face set into a deep scowl, and he clenched his fists tightly. Unwanted memories randomly popped up in his head as he took a step back.

"Naruto?"

* * *

" _Why don't you just kill me?"_

" _He's abandoned you Naru, threw you away like an unwanted puppy~"_

* * *

"Our Uncle." Naruto answered. "Think about it Percy."

Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility.

He's one possibility, that I can buy. But the only one? No way. There's got to be others." Naruto pointed out skeptically.

Scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-What?"

"But-but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon..."

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name or Andi to go for the bolt. Hades would very much like to kill these young half-bloods before either could take on the quest."

"Great," Percy muttered tiredly. "That's two major gods who want to kill me.

Naruto scoffed, "I got dear Uncle Hades on me and my ever so lovely Step-Mother. I think you have a better chance at surviving more than me."

The son of Poseidon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry…"

"But a quest to ..." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain; Percy and Naruto must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

Percy's expression fell as he processed the trainer's words.

" _So I basically have to go one of the scariest places in the world, get back a powerful weapon that casually trims the top off mountains, and make it back without missing any limbs or major organs. Sure, okay, this...is going to suck. Seriously, how was I supposed to do that?"_ Percy thought before realization struck him. The Underworld, the land of the dead.

His mom... He could get his mom back!

He needed to take this quest.

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy told Chiron, "Why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

"Seriously Percy? Are you suggesting our sires, the two of the Big Three to go march down the Underworld and demand something back from their brother peacefully? The same Gods who smite people that bad-mouths them back in the day?" Naruto snorted.

"Naruto speaks the truth; a battle between the Big Three is far too inadvisable. Beyond that suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Even if the other gods suspect Hades-and I imagine Poseidon does-they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross into each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere; challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"So were there pawns in their chessboard?" Naruto snarked with a bitter tone on his voice.

"You're saying we're being used." Percy spoke, frowning at the fact.

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you. It was why Zeus claimed Naruto, no doubt intending for him to take this quest as I said before." Chiron said and looked to the son of Zeus, "And I wouldn't say pawns, more like agents." He stated, trying to steer him from that bitter thought process.

Percy looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said ... I've spoken to the Oracle, too." The Centaur admitted.

"So let me get this straight," Percy said slowly. "We're supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Correct." Chiron nodded.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Yeah," Naruto said.

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

Chiron nodded again.

The son of Poseidon looked at Grover, who gulped down another can.

"… Did I mention Maine is very nice this time of year… ?" The Satyr offered weakly.

"You don't have to go," Naruto told Grover as he put a hand on his shoulder. "We can't ask that of you. I'm already being forced into this." He said with a frown.

"Oh ..." The Satyr shifted his hooves. "No... it's just that satyrs and underground places ... Well..."

He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy." He turned to the son of Zeus. "And you, Naruto; you've been with through thick and thin six years ago…" Naruto smiled at him, "If... If both of you are serious about wanting me along, I won't let the two of you down."

The sky child grinned, "That's the spirit –Ttebayo!"

Percy felt incredibly relieved and pleased, "All the way, G-man." he said before turning to Chiron and asking. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

"Where?"

Naruto blinked and looked at his cousin, "Shouldn't It be obvious? The entrance to the Underworld is at Los Angeles."

"Oh," Percy nodded. "Then let's get on a plane—"

"NO!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

Percy shook his head.

"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.

"Okay," Percy said, determined not to look at the storm. "But what about Naruto? It's not like he would bomb down his own kid, right?" he asked, thinking that it was a no-brainer.

Naruto snorted scornfully, "He saved my sister by turning her into a tree, who knows what he would do to 'save' me." He said with finger quotes. _"Add to the fact that he never did jack shit when I died."_ He added in his mind.

"So, we'll travel over land." Percy concluded.

Chiron nodded. "That's right. Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."

"You mean Naruto." Percy pointed at the son of Zeus.

"No… Lord Zeus wanted him along for the quest regardless of who you choose." Chiron answered.

"Well, if it isn't Naruto, then I wonder?" Percy said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes before putting on his "Hood". Tapping the side of his helmet, the "Hood"'s lenses brightened up. The blond scanned the room before stopping at Chiron.

"Annie… Is that you?"

The air shimmered behind Chiron.

Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

The daughter of Athena immediately raced to her friend and looked at him with wide eyes, "How did you know I was here?"

Naruto simply grinned and tapped his helmet, "Thermal vision, Annie. My helmet can track heat signatures… I know, I'm that awesome." He said, which made Annabeth pout. "Hmph. No fair."

"All's fair in love and war, Annie!"

The girl turned to Percy, "I've been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up." The son of Zeus coughed with a blank look, "Well, Naruto too, but I have a feeling I'll be looking out for her also."

The blond looked like he got shot after the girl said that, "Now that hurts. I thought you loved me Annie?!"  
Annabeth felt her cheeks burn red at the blond's statement. "Shut up Naruto!" And out of pure embarrassment, the girl kicked the sky child in retaliation, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Ow! My shin!"

"Hmph. Serves you right!"

After a minute of laying on the ground, the son of Zeus was now back up, "So, I suppose you have a plan, Wise Girl?" He teased playfully.

Her cheeks darkened a bit more. "Do you want my help or not?"

"We need all the help we can get." Percy said before looking at the team.

"A quartet," Percy said. "That'll work."

"Or blow up in our faces, Aqua-lad." Naruto pointed out with mirth, "Or not, who knows." He said with a lazy shrug.

"Don't call me that."

"Sure, does Aqua-girl sound better?"

"Wha—No!"

Naruto grinned, "Aqua-lad it is."

Percy grumbled but didn't say anything.

"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."

* * *

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions, advice, etc. Anything really.**

 **See ya.**


	9. Of Crowbars and Explosions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The PJO series. Both franchises are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.**

* * *

 **Warning: I am shamelessly ret-conning an element of this story. To be more specific, the cities, A.K.A which city Batman resides in. I feel like I removed part of his lore by making Richmond as the city he lives in.**

 **So, as of this Chapter, Gotham and other fictional cities exist in UTH. If you have a problem with that, think of this story as part of the "Multiverse".**

 **An Alternate Universe if you will.**

 **If you still have a problem with that, then… I dunno, stop reading this story?**

 **As of now, Richmond is where Naruto resides and protects as Red Hood occasionally. Like Nightwing with Bludhaven.**

 **Question: I know this is probably minor but, which Red Hood design do you want Naruto to use? The Arkhamverse design? Or the current one (Injustice 2)? The DC Rebirth version? Or maybe something new?**

 **Who should I pair P** **ercy with?**

 **Also, another pairing choice! This one suggested by Wrath of The Sun Deity. Which is Ravager, daughter of Slade Wilson, or Deathstroke. As much as I like this choice; I'll have to pull something out of my ass to make this work, but hey, if you guys wanted it, then I shall grant your wish.**

* * *

 **Current pairing choices (for now):**

 **Annabeth Chase**

 **Barbara Gordon**

 **Cassandra Cain**

 **Calypso**

* * *

 **Now, before any of you bring out your pitch forks and crucify me for saying this. I'm not opposed to the Harem idea. WAIT WAIT, don't kill me yet pls.**

 **I am most definitely not saying the unrealistic kind of Harem (i.e. the kind of Harem that has, say ten, to fucking twenty women, cause that's overkill for me.) I'm only letting TWO or THREE in the Harem, four is pushing it and that's IF and only IF people convince me.**

 **Because let's all be honest here for a second, there's too many fucking Harems in these kind of stories. And I'm hoping for a singular pairing, but as stated above, if you guys want it, I will TRY my best. (Have to pull something out of my fucking ass to do this.)**

 **I'm only giving chances to those who DO want a Harem, but if people say otherwise, then I'm happy to do a singular pairing.**

* * *

 **Leave your suggestion of the pairings, and Naruto's Red Hood design in the Reviews, or PM me if you'd like.**

* * *

 **Red Eyes. B God:** **Yes, Naruto is currently in his Anti-Hero phase, more of that side will come up in later chapters, the next chapter especially.**

* * *

"Speech"

' _Thought'_

" _God Speech'_

" _Speech through device"_

" **Monster speech"**

 **Enjoy, Chapter 9 of,**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

" _Uh, Boss-man; who're we waiting for?" Naruto, in his Robin uniform, asked as he and Bruce waited in the Cave. After Bruce took Naruto away from Richmond and into Gotham City, where he now resided in Wayne Manor, acting as Bruce Wayne's new Ward. Suffice to say the blond was happy after meeting the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth, who acted as a parental figure and guardian when Bruce wasn't around._

 _It had been a two weeks since he had took the Robin mantle, and during the past days, the blond turned eleven and met his predecessor, Dick Grayson, who now was known as Nightwing. Since Bruce introduced them, the two dislike each other heavily. Dick because Naruto replaced him as Robin and called his Brother "Just a Brat who Bruce took from the streets." Naruto, in retaliation, pranked the older boy multiple times during his stay, and nicknamed him "Dickhead"._

 _Alfred had to intervene for the two to stop the on-going sibling war._

" _I'm going to introduce you to our partner, Robin." Bruce, also in his Batman uniform, replied, his eyes never leaving the exit to the Cave._

 _Naruto groaned in boredom after five minutes of waiting (hey, he was till kid after all) and started doing flips pass the time. After his seventh or eighth flip, the roaring of a motorcycle engine filled the Cave and a sleek, dark purple motorcycle that had a similar design to both his, and Bruce's own appeared._

" _You called, Bruce?" A familiar voice came out the newcomer's mouth._

 _Said newcomer was wearing a female suit that matched Batman's, only that her gauntlets, boots, and the underside of her cape were yellow. Her cowl had longer ears than Batman's and red hair cascaded down the back of her cowl._

" _Wait a sec… Barbara?!" Naruto's eyes widened beneath his mask and promptly tumbled over his handstand._

 _Barbara gaped and removed her cowl, "Naruto?!" She exclaimed before scowling at Bruce, "You didn't…"_

 _Bruce maintained a calm façade. "I offered and he accepted." He answered._

" _You can't do this Bruce! Not after Dick left!"_

" _Give him a chance, Barbara." The man argued._

" _Robin's mantle, is Dick's, and Dick's alone!"_

" _Babs, listen." Naruto put a hand on her shoulder only for the redhead to shrug it off harshly._

" _Don't. Just Don't." She turned and walked towards her cycle and turned it on._

 _She glared at Naruto one last time before speeding off._

" _You'll never be Dick Grayson."_

* * *

" _Get the Brat!"_

 _Robin smirked and flipped over a thug and kicked him at the back of his head. Ducking over a kick, Robin sent a hard right to another thug's gut and finished him off with a kick to the face._

 _He twisted an incoming thug's hand and watched as the man's hand dropped the knife in pain. Robin brought the thug's hand to the man's back and kicked him away, sending the man stumbling to a pile of trash cans where he stayed, knocked out._

 _Behind his domino and facemask, Naruto grinned. "Looks like this 'Brat' beat you chumps!" He said triumphantly._

 _A click of a gun froze the blond. "We ain't done yet." A sneering thug said from behind._

 _Just as his finger moved to the trigger, whizzing was heard and the man cried out in pain when a batarang hit his hand. "Gah! Sonuva-!"_

 _Naruto reacted quickly and dropped kicked the man, sending him to the ground._

 _A whistle was heard from above, and the blond looked up to the night sky. On top of the alleyway, Batgirl's silhouette came out from the darkened building. The older girl mentioned the boy to come up, to which Naruto grappled up and Barbara stepped aside to let the blond to get on the rooftop._

" _Hey." Naruto greeted._

" _Hey."_

 _Silence ensued as the two fidgeted awkwardly._

" _Babs/Naruto." The two spoke at the same time before they clamped their mouths._

" _You talk first." Barbara offered._

" _No, no. It's okay, you go first." Naruto countered._

 _Barbara chewed her bottom lip nervously before sighing. "I'm sorry." She blurted out._

 _Naruto blinked, "What?"_

 _The redhead looked down, "I said I'm sorry." She repeated, "It wasn't right for me to judge you." She said. "It's just that… After Dick left for Bludhaven, he hurt me, and I felt betrayed. And when Bruce got you as Robin, all the stress and frustration just spilled out."_

" _Babs. You don't have to apologize."_

" _Huh?" Barbara snapped her head at him and opened her mouth only for Naruto to hold his hand up. "Bruce told me the whole thing," He told the girl, "So I forgive you." The blond smiled. "'Sides, if Dickhead just up and left you, then the guy doesn't deserve you."_

 _Barbara gaped before hugging the blond. "You know just what to say, 'Ruto." She smiled and pulled away._

" _Y-Yeah." Naruto stuttered, his cheeks heating up beneath his domino and face mask._

" _What are friends for, Barbie?"_

* * *

 _I looked down at the streets below me as my feet dangled over the ledge I was sitting in before sighing._

… _How did it come to this?_

 _A full month into being Robin, and I screwed up. Big time. We were chasing after Zsasz, a serial killer known for cutting up his victims and adding a scar on his body after each death. Guy was crazy I know. Bruce and I soon found him lurking near an old abandoned building in Old Gotham and I quickly sprang into action and beat him to pulp._

 _I guess I was too violent—scratch that really violent, and accidentally hurt him too much. Bruce stopped me immediately and our first argument since I became Robin happened._

" _Where in Hades are you Zsasz?!" I shouted as I kicked down a door, falling down to the ground, the creaks of the floorboards alerted me to another presence in the room and I snapped my head towards the direction._

 _In the corner of the room was Victor Zsasz, a man covered with various scars that looked like tally marks on his skin. The only piece of clothing he was wearing was a torn, orange shorts and a collar made for prisoners in Arkham._

" _There you are…" I growled out and approached him._

 _Zsasz backed away and held his knife in front of him in panic. "Don't come any nearer boy, I'm warning you!" He threatened, but I didn't listen._

 _I took a step forward._

 _The guy charged at me with his knife over his head with a glint in his eye. Just as he brought down the weapon, I quickly struck my arm out and threw a birdarang, disarming him. Reacting immediately I struck in three times, one in the face._

 _The second in the stomach._

 _And then sent a powerful palm strike near his neck._

 _A sickening crack was heard and I widened my eyes._

 _Zsasz fell to the ground, screaming in agony as he held the side of his neck._

" _ROBIN!"_

 _After the police were called, Bruce immediately took me back to the Cave and paced back and forth in front of me. Finally, what felt like an eternity, he spoke, "What were you thinking?!"_

 _I glared and looked away, "I had to take him down!" I defended myself._

" _You shattered his collar bone!" Bruce reminded me harshly._

 _Guilt seeped in me before I held it back._

" _He's a serial killer! I didn't think I had to prop up some pillows before I took him out!" I retorted._

 _Bruce narrowed his eyes at me in anger, "We needed information on where Zsasz held his last victim. But you put him into shock." He gritted his teeth, his tone much calmer._

 _I widened my eyes and looked down in regret, "I'm sorry," I muttered, before I glared again. "But he deserved it."_

 _With that, I straddled my motorcycle and revved the engine._

" _Robin, wait!"_

 _Too late. I was already speeding away._

* * *

 _And here I was, sitting on a ledge and talking to a gargoyle. Who's basically my therapist with how much I talk to it._

 _Joy._

"… _How did you know I was here?"_

 _Batman stood up next to me, his body looming over mine. "Because you're the only kid I've ever met who has a favorite gargoyle?"_

 _I sighed. "Look Bru-Batman." I corrected myself. "What if you and Alfred were wrong about me? What if I screw up or something?"_

 _Batman looked at me, "I am one-hundred percent confident that you will screw up, Robin." He stated bluntly. "You'll jump to conclusions. You'll make mistakes. You're bound to fail spectacularly at least once."_

 _I snorted. "Real confidence-building skills right there."_

 _However Batman wasn't finished, "I didn't ask you to become Robin because I wanted someone perfect." He said, "I wanted someone to do their best. Who can learn from their mistakes. Someone who makes me a better person just by being with them." I looked at him in shock. "So tell me…" He trailed off._

"… _Is that you, Naruto?"_

 _This was one of these rare moments that Bruce showed compassion._

 _I stayed silent before I smirked and accepted his hand._

" _The name's Robin -ttebayo."_

 _I swore I saw Bruce smile for a second there._

" _An honor."_

* * *

After the accepting the quest, the three Demigods went to their respective cabins to pack for their journey.

Naruto currently sat on the floor in his cabin with a frown on his face. He trailed a finger on his gauntlet and closed his eyes and concentrated.

The gauntlets glowed and soon transformed to the pistols he used before. Fitting into the blond's hand snugly, as if it were made just for him (which it is).

This wasn't the first time he held a gun before…

* * *

 _Harleen Quinzel, otherwise known as Harley Quinn entered the warehouse with a smile on her face. "Mistah J?" She called out._

" _Ah, Harley! Just in time, come, come, meet our guest!" She heard her Puddin laugh as he grinned. "He's just dying to see you."_

 _Out of the darkness, The Joker came out, wheeling in a wheelchair bound boy who looked familiar._

 _If it was possible, her smile turned into a vicious grin._

" _If it ain't our favorite birdboy~"_

 _Robin's clothing looked worse for wear. His hood was ripped, showing his messy and damp blond hair. He had several bruises and cuts on his arms, chest and legs. His domino and facemask combination were missing, showing the boy's blue eyes that looked glazed._

 _He looked broken._

 _The Joker stopped the boy in the middle of the room, where a dingy bulb that barley lighted the room was set above him._

" _Bring them in Harls!"_

" _Sure thing Mistah J~"_

 _As Harley exited the warehouse with glee, the Joker turned to Naruto and chuckled darkly._

" _Now, where were we?"_

" _You know kiddo," The deranged man started as he walked towards a table, "I'm surprised that our resident Guano-man hasn't found us yet." He picked up a blood stained crowbar and walked back to the boy. "Was it because I led him in an entire goose chase?" He 'hmmed', "Or did he really give up on you?"_

 _He shrugged, "But enough of that." He said before grinning and raising the crowbar above his head. "Mister Crowbar would like to reintroduce himself~"_

 _For what felt like an eternity, Joker repeatedly beat the blond with 'Mister Crowbar' without remorse of guilt. Which was to be expected from a man who once killed a school bus full of kids and sown their body parts together._

 _Soon the Joker left for a while, Naruto using this time to escape, much to his dismay, Harley Quinn entered the warehouse and approached him._

" _Ah, Ah, Ah, Birdie~ don't forget your medicine." Brining out a red tablet from who-knows-where, the pigtailed woman grabbed Naruto's jaw and opened it forcefully, with that done she dropped the pill in the other blond's mouth and made him swallow it. "There, much better~"_

 _Skipping towards the door, the woman opened it and was greeted by the sight of two burly men with Joker in the middle. "All right, the hallucinogen tabs 'oughta be kickin' any sec." She informed._

 _Joker cackled, "See Harley? Plans!" He held up two Batman costumes that were black and blue respectively. "You remember Catman and Blockbuster, right?" He gestured towards the two burly men, "Say hi fellas."_

" _Hey."_

" _Nn."_

 _Harley gritted her teeth and threw her hands up in the air and grumbled, "Yeah, Yeah. I set 'em up, so someone else can go in and knock 'em down." She walked away from the three, "Story of my life."_

 _Joker frowned. "Uh, oh. Women trouble." He gave the men the costumes, "You guys put these on. Baby doll!"_

 _He approached the woman and held her chin. "Come on HQ, I know I've been neglecting you lately for our little birdboy in there. But I promise, once were done with the Boy Blunder, will go on a date, sound good to ya?"_

" _We doin' this or what?" Blockbuster, now costumed along with Catman, called out to the deranged man before the woman could respond._

" _Ah! You're ready!" He shoved Harley out of the way, "Thrillsville! You guys look terrific!" He complimented them as he opened the door._

" _Harley, keep an eye out in case this gets loud."_

 _Harley sputtered, "I can't come? I promise I'll be—"_

" _No, No, Nanette! We don't want the Dork Knight catching us early now, could we?" He said. "You stay put until I Ring-A-Ding for you."_

 _Harley looked down, saddened, but complied none the less. "All right, Mistah J. Anything for you." She muttered._

 _Joker kicked the metal door open as he shouted, "Help! I need a hero!"_

 _Naruto didn't say anything feeling the Joker's presence behind his back even as the man talked. "That mean old Batman, HE left you to die, but I didn't!" He exclaimed, "I believed in you, Baby! You can see now that I'm not the villain here, can't you?"_

 _He knelt down in front of Naruto and took on a pitying tone, "I'm just a poor old citizen of Gotham who's scared of creepy guys dressed up at night trying to frighten us into submission." Joker said sadly, "Lots of folks are like me. YOU were like me once, weren't you?"_

 _Naruto's eyes hardened as the Joker continued._

" _Another one of us schlubs tried of being scared all the time."_

 _Joker stood up and went behind the wheelchair bound boy, placing his hands on the blond's shoulders._

" _We're all just holding out for a hero, kid."_

 _Suddenly, the two burly men dressed up as Batman rushed out from the darkness and charged straight into Naruto. The Joker grinned and stepped away._

" _And I got my money on you, Bucko!"_

 _The black themed Batman struck first, landing a kick to Naruto's cheek. The blue themed Batman brought his fist down on the blond's other cheek. The two 'Batmen' started to ruthlessly beat the whiskered Robin, landing blows upon blows on the boy, breaking the wheelchair and brining Robin to the ground._

 _The two burly men stepped away as Naruto struggled to lift himself off the ground, his Robin suit looking dirty and destroyed then before._

 _Joker's grin broadened as Naruto stood up._

 _Then, the blond chucked one of the small wheels straight towards one of the Batmen, the black round object hitting their target harshly._

" _WHEE! Naruto—Uzumaki—SIS, BOOM, BAM—Naruto Uzumaki—Naruto Uzumaki—Naruto Uzumaki—RAHH, RAHH, RAHH!" Joker cheered as he raised two green pom-poms in the air, watching the young blond fight back._

 _He frowned, as the sounds of thunder boomed, and glared at the sky in the warehouse. "Pipe down will ya Old Man! Can't you see the kids busy!?"_

 _Joker soon ignored the sounds of thunder as he cheered for Naruto who struck one of the Batmen. "OOOH! A right hook to the Bat-jaw—Down he goes!"_

 _Harley looked saddened as she watched from the exit to the warehouse._

" _I shoulda brought you on years ago! Yer a natural I tell ya—A natural!"_

 _Naruto gritted his teeth and felt satisfaction as the kick he delivered brought a crunch._

" _And scene!" Joker clapped. "Brilliant job, boy! Now, let's move past the knuckle sandwiches."_

" _Harley dear! Bring out my 'Pieces D'Resistance'!"_

 _Harley walked inside the warehouse, holding a small case in her hands. Opening the case, was two custom built handguns. "Are you sure about this Mistah J? Maybe I should spend more time—"_

 _Joker grabbed one of the handguns eagerly and examined it. "More time?! Are you kidding? This kids ready to pop." He said. He walked towards the motionless Naruto, "That, and Batsy might ruin our fun."_

 _As he approached the boy, he continued, "Besides, I could see it in his eyes. Always could."_

" _The Big Bat did too. He was ALWAYS gonna leave him behind at some point. He knew here that our boy here was better in every possible way."_

 _The green haired man grinned behind Naruto and presented the pistol to the boy. "That look in your eye. It's why he left you to die. Hey, I'm not a poet but I don't even know it!" The blond hesitantly grabbed the gun. "But that look? It's also the reason I rescued you. I knew there was someone special behind it." The Joker grinned sinisterly, "Besides,"_

 _His purple eyes swirled and churned in insanity._

" _We Demigods have to stick together."_

 _Naruto seemed to ignore the Joker's last statement as he aimed the handgun towards a downed 'Batman'._

"… _B-Batman…" Naruto trembled before he looked away and lowered the gun. "… I… C-C-Can't—"_

" _Yowza!"_

 _The blue themed Batman fell down, motionless, a bloody hole contradicting the grey and blue of his suit._

" _Sure ya can." Harley said, holding the other handgun, its barrel smoking. "The Joker saved you. Just like he did me." She said. "And now you're the only thing protecting this town from guys like Batman."_

 _The woman narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "You're our knight in shining armor, kid. The Joker chose you just for this… Just like he chose me."_

 _Naruto swallowed and trained the gun on the last Batman, even as he begged. "And when the Bat's gone, everybody's life gets a little better."_

 _That was the last straw._

 _He pulled the trigger._

 _As soon as the man fell down. Naruto collapsed on his knees, dropping the handgun. "I-I'm sorry—I'm so—"_

 _He was silenced as the Joker hit him with 'Mister Crowbar'. The insane man shook his head in disappointment. "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted." He looked at Harley and whistled, "Oh, Harls~ clear Bat-freak one, and Bat-freak two, set the charges."_

 _As the woman cleaned and disposed the bodies, the Joker used the time to tie Naruto up. "Shame too, thought Demigods these days were better. Looks like I guessed wrong…" He muttered._

 _The man straightened his purple attire and dusted off any dirt as he opened the door. "Now, now," He grinned and looked back at the boy. "Remember, finish your homework and be bed by nine, also; tell the big man I said hello." With that, the man slammed the door shut._

 _Naruto groaned weakly and crawled towards the door and pulled down its handle._

 _It didn't budge, not one bit._

' _Bastard must have locked it…'_

 _That was it. He was doomed._

 _He wouldn't see Annabeth, Luke, Barbara, Alfred, or Bruce, fuck even Dick ever again._

 _He would miss them all._

 _Despite the situation he was in, he chuckled emotionlessly as he watched the timer in acceptance._

" _I'm sorry everyone…"_

" _I'm sorry Tha-"_

 _The timer reached zero, and all he saw was blackness._

* * *

Naruto gripped the two handguns tightly, before the guns shifted its appearance.

They looked sleeker and bigger, modified and longer.

Turning into the very pistols that the _Bastard_ gave him on _that_ night. **(1)**

The blond grunted, and stood up. Walking towards the mirror he was given by Cabin Ten, which he stuck to a column. Naruto discarded his jacket and armor, and looked at his upper body.

His physique was lean and muscled, impressive for a thirteen year old boy, and was a bit broader on the shoulders than some of Ares' kids. An intricate tattoo along with markings were at the center of his chest.

Something he gained after training with the All-Caste.

He ignored that however, and traced the long scar that ran down his chest, along with numerous scars that littered his body.

Naruto scowled at the signs of what _he_ did to him, a brutal reminder that the Joker should be killed.

Why couldn't Bruce learn?! That some people deserve to be killed for their sins!

After not one, but _two_ dips in Ra's fountain of youth made him open his eyes.

There was no right, there never was.

There's wrong, and there's _worse._ Period.

But Bruce couldn't see that, always sticking by the rules, always going for his morale code.

Always being the hero.

"Bullshit." Naruto muttered.

Where was he, when he was being beaten to death with a crowbar?! Where was he, when he was tortured. Where was he, when he was forced to **kill.**

"… Where were you, when I needed you the most?"

He gritted his teeth, and forced the self-pity away.

He would show Bruce, he'd show him.

He was gonna rid the world of the Joker once and for all.

* * *

Naruto, now in his gear, stood in front of his sister. The branches swaying slightly as the wind picked up.

"… Hey Thals." The blond greeted weakly.

"Been awhile, huh? Sorry, I couldn't talk to you the past days, they were hectic." He looked down. "Must be wondering where I was during these years, right? Well, it's a long story but…"

Naruto proceeded to tell his sister about his training with Jiraiya, his time as Robin, meeting Bruce, Alfred, Dick, and Barbara.

"You'd love to meet Alfred! He makes the best Ramen, and he even makes one of the best Burgers in the world!"

He told her about his death, and eventual resurrection.

"You would like to meet Cass, she's silent, but could probably beat all of us without a beat, I could attest to that." The whiskered blond laughed.

Naruto looked away, "… I'm sorry," He whispered, "I killed, I murder scum and rapists. Because that's what they deserve! They go to prison for what? Two to five years and there out, repeating there mistakes over and over, and they just won't listen and-!" He caught himself mid-rant. "Despite all the things I've done, Bruce still wanted me back."

Naruto laughed, even as tears stained his cheeks. "Even when I almost killed him, even when I beat Tim to a pulp. He still wanted me back…"

He didn't mind the tears anymore as he collapsed

"They all wanted me back."

The blond stood up, and walked away from his sister.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be the hero you wanted me to be…"

* * *

 **(1)~ Handguns the Arkham Knight/Red Hood used during the Arkham games.**

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions, advice, etc. Anything really.**

 **See ya.**


	10. Decisions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The PJO series. Both franchises are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.**

* * *

 **Wrath of The Sun Deity** **, while I appreciate you for defending me (thank you, by the way, you're awesome) please don't argue with** **Loveless** **, if he doesn't listen to you, then drop it. As for** **Loveless** **, thanks for criticizing me, I appreciate it.**

 ** E-Paradox, you sir, have opened my eyes. There's a 2% percent chance of me doing a Harem, but rest assured I probably won't go that route. You are absolutely right, there's too much Harem stories in these kind of stories; I didn't know what I was thinking when I made that decision (maybe it's because it was 3:00 fucking something in the morning, but… Eh).**

 **plums** **, hahaha, sorry about the last chapter mostly focused on flashbacks, just wanted to show what the Joker did to Naruto in the past, and flesh out Bruce and Naruto's relationship. Sorry if you didn't like it.**

 **JaCk-'o-LaNtErN 91** **, you pose a good question. Naruto was 10 when he became Robin and was Robin for about a year. Turned 11, then was kidnapped by the Joker and died. 12, when he was resurrected, met Cassandra and trained with the League and the All-Caste. 13, when he returned to Gotham as the Red Hood, beaten Tim in the Titans Tower, fought Bruce and fled Gotham, then entering Camp Half-Blood.**

 **I hope that was a good explanation for you. And if some are complaining about the age. Two words: Damian Wayne.**

 **Naruto's final Red Hood design is still being decided. So give any suggestion you want. (I'm personally rooting for the Arkhamverse design, but that's just me)**

* * *

 **Current pairing choices (for now):**

 **Annabeth Chase**

 **Barbara Gordon**

 **Cassandra Cain**

 **Calypso**

 **Ravager (Rose Willson)**

* * *

 **Edit: Which BatFamily member would you like to show up first?**

 **Choices:**

 **Nightwing (Dick Grayson)**

 **Oracle (Barbara Gordon)**

 **Cassandra Cain (Black Bat)**

 **Batgirl (Stephanie Brown)**

 **Robin (Tim Drake)**

 **Batman (Bruce Wayne)**

* * *

 **Enjoy, Chapter 10 of,**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

" _How's it feel? For your greatest failure to beat you. Huh?"_

 _Bruce struggled to get up from the ground, his batsuit in tatters and teared. Naruto sneered, and dropped his 'Hood', revealing a simple red domino mask, concealing his blue eyes. He grabbed the older man by the neck and lifted him up for eye contact._

 _This was it. He's been waiting for this moment since he had been revived. All his training with the All-Caste, Lady Shiva, and the League of Assassin's prepared him for this._

" _Tell me," Naruto started. "What bothers you more? That your greatest failure has returned from the grave, or that I've become a better Batman than you?"_

 _Despite the pain, Bruce spoke, "You're ruling through fear and intimidation—you're just another criminal!"_

 _Naruto growled and slammed his knee into his former mentor's gut. "I'm what this city needs!"_

 _The blond chuckled as he watched the man collapsed, "You just don't get it. Do you?" He smirked and kneeled in front of his mentor. "You can't stop crime. That's what you never understood." The whiskered boys said. "I'm controlling it, you wanna rule them by fear, but what do you do with the ones who aren't afraid? I'm doing what you won't."_

" _I'm taking them out."_

" _Naruto… Please." Bruce asked, no begged to his son. "Stop this, this isn't you."_

 _"No!"_

 _No matter how hard the boy tried to hold it back, fresh tears slipped down on his face, staining his cheeks as the droplets fell down._

" _You failed me! You left me to die with…_ _ **HIM**_ _."_

 _Bruce could feel it._

 _His son's rage, anger, all the things that he'd experienced with the Clown prince of crime on that night seeped out of him._

 _Naruto took out a pistol from his thigh holsters and trained the gun at the man. "How many days did take for you to replace me huh? A month? A WEEK?! I trusted you, I saw you as Father!"_

 _Bruce could hear the boy's voice was filled with pain and regret._

 _The emotions he, himself was feeling._

 _The raw fury and betrayal cut the Dark Knight deeply._

 _Bruce looked at his son from his position on the ground._

 _Lightning flashed, and for a split second, Naruto's form changed to the broken Robin he held during the blond's death, before it turned back into the murderous Red Hood he knew now._

 _He's grown taller, broader. His face was more angular and the whisker marks were defined better._

 _Bruce imagined his son growing up without him, imagined seeing him one day in the future and not recognizing him, imagined recognizing him but missing everything that turned him into the man he has become_ _._

 _It hurt him._

" _I'm… Sorry."_

 _Naruto scowled, his eyes red and puffy behind his mask. He tightened his grip on the handgun. "Sorry doesn't make it better."_

"… _My armor wasn't strong enough." Bruce muttered. "It wasn't strong enough for Barbara, who has to fight from a wheelchair. It wasn't strong enough to stop Dick from leaving the Cave."_

"… _And it wasn't strong enough for Naruto Uzumaki."_

 _Naruto stared at the older man. "What are you saying?"_

 _Bruce's mind flashed back, to him, holding his son's dead body, cradling it. "Willful Naruto, who ignored danger… Who spat at risk. Who was never frightened enough."_

" _Stop."  
But Bruce continued. "I've always wondered… Always… Was he scared at the end?"_

" _Was he praying for me to come save him?"_

" _Stop. It." Naruto demanded._

" _And in those last moments when he knew that I wouldn't…"_

"… _Did he hate me for it?"_

 _Naruto's hand was shaking, his vision blurry, as his figure trembled._

 _The blond gritted his teeth and his finger moved towards the trigger._

 _He could do it right now._

 _He could end all of this, and have his revenge._

 _But… Why couldn't he?_

…

…

…

 _The rooftop was silent before the boy turned away. Once more, leaving his father._

* * *

That was the last time he would see his wayward son.

It had been months now, and Naruto Uzumaki, the second Robin, the _dead_ Robin, and now the murderous Red Hood was last seen.

Bruce narrowed his eyes and stared at the monitor in front of him. The various news articles and pages taking up the screen, showing various pictures of the former Robin.

He should have taken care of him better.

Naruto was his partner.

His soldier.

His fault.

His son.

Despite everything the boy did, killing criminals, decapitating heads, controlling Gotham's Criminal Underworld for a short time, and even beating Tim half to death. He still wanted him back.

"HA! Another win, Tim!"

"No fair, Dick!"  
Bruce sighed and swiveled his chair around to face the two bickering brothers.

Dick Grayson, now sixteen, rolled and tumbled along the Cave with his brother Tim Drake, who had the older boy in a grapple. The two were so focused on each other, that they didn't notice their mentor staring at them.

"… Do I even want to know?"

Dick grinned and pushed a protesting Tim off him as he stood up and dusted off his clothing, "Not at all Bruce, just some brotherly fun, is all." He said cheerfully.

Tim scowled. "Yeah. If you call 'brotherly fun' as a means to beat me several times in the sparring ring. Then, yes, we were doing 'brotherly fun'. The twelve year-old finger quoted.

The older boy smiled and ruffled the current Robin's hair. "You just have to practice more, Timmy."

He turned to the entrance to the Cave where a short black haired girl came through. "Right, Cass?"

Tim looked at the older girl hopefully.

Cassandra mutely nodded her head, which made the third Robin deflate.

"How about you, Steph?" Tim asked, his tone shining with hope once again as he looked at the blond girl near the Bat-Computer.

Stephanie laughed and shook her head. "Gotta be better than that Timmy~" She sing-songed.

Great, no one was at his side.

Tim grumbled but didn't say anything.

Let it be known that Timothy Drake was not a sore loser.

Dick looked at the Bat-Computer and frowned. "Still no sign of him, Bruce?"

"Nothing. No leads. Or clues. It's like he vanished off the face of the earth."

Dick turned to a wheelchair bound redhead in hope. "Babs?" He asked silently.

Barbara sighed and shook her head sadly.

Cassandra looked at her fellow vigilantes.

She could feel the sudden conflict in the air.

They were all trying to keep their facades, but their body language gave the girl insight.

Bruce was afraid for Naruto. He wanted to stop him. He wanted to help him anyway he can, but he didn't know how to accomplish this. Bruce tried to separate the happy-go-lucky and hyperactive boy the blond used to be, and now the murderous and vengeful Anti-Hero he was now. He had a responsibility towards Naruto—not only as a vigilante but as a former partner and Father.

He offered Naruto a chance to come with him. To reunite with the family. But the blond disappeared.

Nightwing was trying and failing not to think of the Red Hood as his brother. Naruto and Dick were not on the best of terms back when the whiskered blond was Robin, sure, but the boy still saw Naruto as family. Maybe this was why Dick tried his best to act like a brother towards Tim.

Because he failed Naruto in that regard.

Despite this, Naruto always made Dick laugh when it came to pranks. But as the Red Hood, he scared the hell out of Dick. The Red Hood was dangerous. He knew how to kill and was an expert in psychological warfare.

 _He was using death as a weapon._

Oracle was also desperately trying not to see the blond as the Robin she was used to in her days as Batgirl. And would often try to convince herself that the Naruto she knew was gone. And the Red Hood was what was left.

Robin and Batgirl were the most confused of the group. Both had never met Naruto. Naruto had been dead by the time Tim and Stephanie became both Robin and Batgirl. Still, Tim wanted to know Naruto. Naruto was his brother, but Naruto had also beaten the shit out of him. It had taken Tim a full month to be back at good shape after the fight in the Titans Tower. Naruto could've killed him during the fight. It would have been so easy for the blond to crush Tim's windpipe.

But Naruto didn't.

Tim wanted to know why he was still alive.

He needed to know why Naruto spared him at the last moment.

As for Cassandra herself…

She believed, no, she _knew_ there was still hope for Naruto. He had been her only friend and light during the time she was in the League. He had comforted her when she revealed her first kill at the age of eight. Supported and cheered for her when she was training. Was the light to her darkness back then.

He cared for her, and she cared for him.

"What're we going to do once we find him?" Tim asked.

Bruce closed his eyes before looking at everyone in the Cave.

But Cassandra beat him to it.

"Offer him to come back."

Shock was the general reaction.

Barbara turned to Cassandra. "You can't be serious, Cassandra. After what he's done-!"

"Still good in him." The younger girl reasoned.

"There is, Cass but we-!"

"No!"

Barbara gave a sisterly glare towards Cassandra, "If you just listen—"

"No!"

"He's dangerous." Dick said calmly. "I know you like him, Cass. But he's dangerous. We just want to help him."

Bruce remained silent.

Cassandra looked at the first Robin in the eyes. "You are brothers. Should know he smart enough to leave. He know we will look for him."

Dick sighed, "Look, when we find him. If YOU find him. Ask him why he's doing this."

"Know why."

The others stared at her in surprise. Bruce included.

"He thinks no one cares. Thinks Tim took his spot. Thinks Joker living means his death not important. Thinks Bruce lying to him when he said to give him a chance. Thinks he's not loved, not wanted. Knows this hurts Bruce. Knows it makes Bruce angry."

Cassandra took a deep breath and started to walk out of the Cave.

"Thinks better to get an angry reaction than nothing."

* * *

Naruto didn't pack much. Just the essentials, he had a spare bag from Cabin Ten. A few supplies from the camp store, and a first aid kit from Will, curtesy of Cabin Seven. His kunai and shuriken were all that's left for him to pack.

The camp store loaned the questers a hundred U.S. dollars and twenty golden drachmas that were big and had images of various Greek Gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. Chiron gave the trio of Demigods each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, in case of emergency. It was God food, Chiron reminded them. It would cure them from almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. The Centaur warned them that if an overdose would cause them to burn up and turn into ashes.

Annabeth brought her magic Yankees cap, a gift given by her mother during her twelfth-birthday. A book on famous classical architecture, in Greek, of course. And a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. To which Percy was sure that would get them busted the first time they went through a metal detector.

Grover wore his fake feet and pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta cap, to cover the tips of his horns should it ever rain. His bright orange backpack (which Naruto approved of) was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. And a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him.

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Naruto was already up there, his eyes noticeably red and puffy, and he was leaning against its trunk.

Annabeth frowned when she saw her childhood friend's state, and approached him. "Are you okay?" She placed a hand on his arm. Naruto visibly flinched upon contact, worrying the girl more, and wiped his eyes. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine, Annie." The blond assured her.

The daughter of Athena wasn't buying it, and glared at her not-so-secret crush, "Whiskers, I know you for far too long." Her glare softened, "I know when you're lying." Naruto glowered, "How exactly?" He snapped. "You're posture stiffened, you stutter when you speak," Annabeth listed off. "And you look away when you're lying." She put her hands on her hips. "Tell me what's wrong, Naruto." She said in a soft tone. "Please."

A few feet away, Percy leaned to Grover and whispered, "Should I do something or…" He trailed off. Grover shook his head and put an arm around Percy and led him away from the two blonds. "Just let them do their thing, Percy."

The Demigod and the Satyr walked towards Chiron as Annabeth comforted Naruto. The trainer was waiting for them in his wheelchair; next to him was the surfer dude that Percy saw around camp. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today however, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so they could only see extra eyes on his hands, face and neck.

"This is Argus," Chiron introduced the two to the man. "He will drive you into the city and, er, well, keep an eye on things." The Centaur frowned when he noted the absence of the two blonds. "Where are Mister Uzumaki and Miss Chase?" He asked.

Grover pointed towards the pine tree and Chiron smiled when he saw Annabeth hugging the taller blond, a blush sporting her cheeks. "Ah, young love." The Centaur said with a smile. Annabeth seemed to have hear Chiron and if it was possible, her cheeks turned redder.

The two separated and approached the group, Annabeth with pink cheeks. Grover snickered at Annabeth who glared at him. The Satyr shut up, but the smile didn't leave his face. "If I may, Mister Uzumaki. Are you alright?" Chiron asked kindly.

"Never been better, Chiron." Naruto grinned.

He liked Chiron, guy acted like Alfred, kind, caring, and grandfatherly.

He missed the old butler.

Just as the group was about to leave, the sound of footsteps stopped them.

Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" He yelled and panted. "Glad I caught you guys."

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told them, "And I thought… Um, maybe you could use these."

He handed Percy the sneakers, which looked normal to him. Heck, they even smelled normal. If him sniffing them and not reacting was any indication. Naruto did the same thing to various objects during his time as Robin, and even now.

It helped in Detective work.

Noticing the skeptical the shoes were getting, Luke smirked.

"Maia!"

White, feathery wings sprouted out of the heels, startling the son of Poseidon so much, he dropped them. The shies flapped around in the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover exclaimed.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. A gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days…" He said sadly.

Percy looked shocked at the gift and was a bit embarrassed at getting it. "Hey, man. Thanks." He meant it, by Luke's sincerity in his tone told how much he valued the shoes.

"Listen, Percy…" Luke shifted around nervously. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just… kill some monsters for me, okay?"

They shook hands.

As he turned to Naruto, he had a pained look in his eyes, the one he always seemed to have after the whiskered blond's claiming. "Leaving us again, huh, Naruto?" He joked, though there seemed to be a bit of hurt in his voice. "Only for a while, Luke." Naruto smiled at the older blond.

Naruto knew how hard it was to cope with Thalia's death. That, and Luke always seemed to look emotional whenever he was around, and he understood that.

Alfred once caught Naruto looking at Thalia's photo that he kept with him during her birthday. The kind butler comforted the young blond, and the next day. Naruto was shocked and happy to find a framed portrait of Thalia in the Manor.

Bless the butler's heart.

Luke moved on to pat Grover's head between his horns, and then gave a goodbye hug to Annabeth.

Annabeth unknowingly stared at Naruto, and was snapped out of her trance by Percy.

The son of the sea elbowed her. "Do you like him?" Percy asked, referring to their fellow quest member.

Annabeth turned bright red, "W-What? No! How can you say that? I only see him as a friend!" She said heatedly, her voice getting a tad bit higher at each word.

"It's pretty obvious you know? Why not just tell him?"

"Oh… Why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?" Annabeth huffed in anger and stomped down the other side of the hill, a white SUV waiting for them on the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.

Percy picked up the magic shoes and frowned at them before looking at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

The trainer shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air… That would be not wise for you."

The Demigod nodded, a bit disappointed. He turned to Naruto and held up the shoes. "Do you want to use them?" Percy asked, to which the whiskered blond shook his head. "Nah. Don't need 'em."

Percy looked at Grover. "How about you, Groves?"

The Satyr's eyes lit up. "Me?"

Pretty soon they'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and Grover grinned and activated the magic shoes.

"Maia!"

He got off the ground fine, but then fell over sideways which caused his backpack to get dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down, poor Grover got bonked on the head a few times as he tried, and failed, to control them.

"Practice!" Chiron called after the flying goat. "You just need practice!"

"Aaaah!" Was Grover's only reply as he went flying sideways down the hill, heading towards the van.

Before Naruto or Percy could follow, the Centaur halted them. "I should have trained you both better," He muttered. "If only I had more time. Heracles, Jason, they all got more training."

"What am I thinking?!" Chiron suddenly cried out before looking at the son of Poseidon. "Do you still have the pen, Percy?"

Percy nodded, and fished the small pen out of his pocket. "Yeah, I found this after I woke up in the infirmary. What about it?"

"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."

The boy remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when he vaporized Mrs. Dodd. Chiron had thrown him a pen that turned into a sword.

Could this be…?

Percy uncapped the pen, and to his and Naruto's surprise, the sword that Percy used during his fight with the Minotaur was in the son of Poseidon's hands.

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told him. "Its name is Anaklusmos."

"Riptide," Percy translated easily.

"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "And only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals, unless absolutely necessary of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."

Both Demigods looked at the bronze blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?" The boy asked in disbelief.

"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They are simply not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you; as a Demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

"Good to know."

"Now, recap the pen."

Percy touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly, Riptide shrank to the ballpoint pen again. He tucked it in his pocket, looking a tad nervous. "What if I lose it?" He asked.

Chiron smiled, "You can't lose the pen no matter how much you try." He said with some amusement in his tone. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."

The green eyed boy looked wary, but threw the pen as far as he could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.

"It may take a few moments." Chiron told him. "Now, check your pocket."

Sure enough, the pen was there.

"Okay, that's extremely cool," Percy admitted with a smile. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"

Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."

"Mist?"

"It's the veil that Hecate controls, Aqua-lad." Naruto informed the boy. "Keeps mortals from seeing Gods and Monsters. Since were half-bloods, we see just fine, and since the blade has 'celestial' in its name, mortals can't see it either?" He asked the Centaur, who nodded with a pleased look in his eye.

Percy nodded in understanding too while putting Riptide back in his pocket.

Chiron looked at Naruto, "May I take a closer inspection on your weapon, Naruto?"

The blond nodded and held his arm towards the trainer. Chiron examined it before widening his eyes. "The Gauntlet of Zeus!"

Naruto tilted his head, "The what now?"

"The Gauntlet of Zeus, Mister Uzumaki." Chiron said, "Forged by Lord Hephaestus, your father used this Gauntlet to chain the Titans in the depths of Tartarus."

Naruto looked at his Gauntlets and let out a whistle.

Chiron spoke, "Though I am unware of what it does."

"I think of a weapon, and the Gauntlets transform into it." To prove his point, the Gauntlets shined before transforming into his twin handguns.

The trainer frowned in disapproval at the modern weapon, "Mister Uzumaki, may I ask, why guns of all things?" While some older Demigods use firearms, and that was rare as it is, the Centaur more or less preferred traditional weapons such as Bows and Swords.

"Just… Used to it, why?"

"Tradition, my boy."

Naruto let out an "Oh."

Before the boy could speak, Chiron raised a hand. "But, if it is your desired choice. Then I support it." He smiled.

Naruto grinned at the Centaur.

With all that done. The two Demigods set off down the hill after the rest of their group.

When Percy got to the bottom of the hill, he looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, Naruto's older-sister, Chiron was standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow in salute.

A send off by the trainer.

* * *

Argus soon drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Percy sitting on opposite sides while Naruto sat in the middle. With Grover riding shotgun.

Percy was staring out the window while Naruto was inspecting his pistols.

Silence filled the van.

"So far so good," Percy told Annabeth, breaking the silence. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

She gave him an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."

"Don't jinx it, Aqua-lad." Naruto said, not looking up from his inspection.

Percy ignored his cousin and glowered at Annabeth. "Remind me again, why do you hate me so much?" He asked the girl with a small sigh.

"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me."

She folded her invisibility cap. "Look… We're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

"And that should be the same with me and Naruto, yet, we seem to get along okay. Nut why us?" He asked with a quirked brow.

Annabeth sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron God for the city of Athens. Your dad created stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

"They must really like olives." Percy concluded.

"Oh, forget it."

"Now, if she'd invented pizza, that I could understand." He grinned at the girl.

"I said, forget it!"

"Please stop this before it gets out of hand." Naruto looked up from his handgun and turned to the two Demigods. Seeing the two of them descending to a cold war, the son of Zeus just sighed and went back to checking his firearm.

Silence prevailed once again.

Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan, it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus dropped them at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from Percy's mom and Gabe's apartment. Taped below a mailbox was a soggy flyer with the son of Poseidon's picture on it, below the picture was text that read: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?

Percy ripped it down before the others could notice and read it as fast as he could before he threw it away with an angry look on his face.

Argus unloaded their bags, and made sure they got their bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch them as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Percy held a look of longing on his face as Grover chatted with him about something. Naruto wasn't really listening as he was talking to Annabeth.

"Can you at least play nice with Aqua-lad, Annie?" He asked the girl.

Annabeth sighed, "I know, I know, geez." She huffed. "It's just, I don't know, it's this thing in my gut I guess." She admitted.

Naruto put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We're not our parents, you know. I get the tension too, and trust me I know the feeling. But their arguments and squabbles are with them. It's none of our business." The son of Zeus said.

"Nice policy."

"Gotta do what you have to do, Annie." He grinned at her.

Annabeth looked at Naruto, who had his blue eyes covered by a pair of black shades, even if it was approaching evening.

"It's almost dark, why are you wearing that?"

Naruto just smiled at her, "Secret."

The rain didn't stop.

They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play catch with one of Grover's apples. Tossing the apple from one to another as Grover desperately tried to get it.

Then, they played Hacky Sack with the same apple. Annabeth was extremely good. Able to bounce the fruit with her knee, shoulder and elbow. Percy wasn't bad either.

But Naruto stole the show, doing various flips and tricks while bouncing the apple.

As much as he hate to admit it. He had to thank Grayson for that.

The game ended when Percy tossed the apple toward the Satyr which got too close to his mouth. In one huge bite, their Hack Sack disappeared into the belly of the goat boy.

Grover blushed and tried to apologize, but the Demigods were too busy laughing.

The bus finally came. As the four stood in line to board the vehicle. Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like a dog.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," He said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

"Keep your guard up, but don't look too tense." Naruto spoke, narrowing his eyes behind his shades, his training as Robin kicking in. Annabeth already doing so, and Percy looking over his shoulders every few seconds.

A sigh of relief was heard when they finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. Annabeth, Percy and Grover stowed their backpacks, while Naruto held his own close to him.

Never can be too careful.

Ah, great, his paranoia's kicking in. But considering they're situation, being paranoid might actually help.

As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto the son of Zeus' knee. "Whiskers." She said in a tight whisper.

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face along with a few more accessories such as lace gloves and a big paisley purse. When the woman tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, something which Naruto noticed caused Percy to flinch and withdraw into his seat.

Two more ladies came behind her. One in a green hat and the other in a purple hat.

They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, forming an X.

The bus rode out of the station, and they headed through the bustling streets of Manhattan. "Ms. Dodds didn't stay dead long." Percy said in a shaky voice. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime." He turned to Annabeth with a look.

"I said if you're lucky." The girl reminded him. "You're obviously not."

"I could say the same for me." Naruto muttered. Glaring at the elderly ladies.

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di Immortales!"

"It's okay." Annabeth tried to assure them, thinking in overdrive. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out of the windows." She was panicking.

"They don't open." Grover informed them.

"A back exit?"

"None. And even if there is, we'll get trapped either way." Naruto pointed at the oncoming tunnel.

"They won't attack with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"There's the Mist Percy, it'll keep the mortals from noticing anything wrong." Naruto frowned.

"Mortals don't have good eyes." Annabeth added. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" Percy suggested.

Annabeth thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof—"  
Darkness abruptly blanketed them, cutting off Annabeth's question; they'd hit Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle.

It was dead quiet without the rain.

The Fury with the orange whatever-it-is got up and declared she needed to use the bathroom in a fake tone.

That was such bullshit. Naruto thought.

"So do I," The second sister said.

"So do I," The third echoed.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat." The sea child blinked, much to the girl's annoyance. "Come on, take it." She insisted.

She turned to Naruto who put his 'Hood' on for extra protection.

The red helmet was a contradiction to the darkness that enveloped the bus.

Naruto jabbed a thumb on his chest. "Don't worry about me, Annie."

Annabeth nodded and looked at the son of Poseidon. "Percy, you're one of the two they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

"What about Naru—"

"Don't worry about me." Naruto cut the boy off.

Percy nodded hesitantly. "What about you guys?" He looked at Grover and Annabeth.

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You and Naruto are both sons of the Big Three. Your smell might me overpowering, along with Naruto's scent. This could work."

"We can't just leave you." Naruto argued sternly. His voice slightly robotic with his helmet on.

Annabeth's heart fluttered and her cheeks flushed but insisted. "Don't worry about us." She said. "Go!"

Percy took the hat shakily and put it on.

Grover turned towards Naruto's seat and…

"… He's gone." Grover whispered, dumbfounded and confused, "How did he disappear so fast?!"

Percy also thought the same thing, but quickly stopped the train of thought.

He had to focus.

He began to creep up the aisle. He got up about ten seats before he had to duck into an empty seat as the Furies passed him.

Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at him. Percy's heart pounded rapidly. She started to sniff some more and looked at the other asile.

From his angle, Percy could see a glimpse of a familiar red helmet from the darkness of the other aisle.

He was free. The boy made it to the front of the bus. They were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. He was about to press the emergency stop button when he heard hideous wailing from the back row.

The old ladies transformed. Their faces were the same, but their bodies shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags turning into fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips while hissing, "Where is it? Where?!"

The other passengers started screaming, cowering in their seats.

They all saw something, all right.

"They aren't here!" Annabeth yelled. "They're gone!"

The Furies hissed angrily and raised their whips.

Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed his tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.

Percy looked at the distracted bus driver and narrowed his eyes.

Still invisible, the boy grabbed the wheel from the man and jerked it to the left. Everybody screamed as they were thrown to the right, and he heard what was hopefully the Furies smashing against the windows.

"The hell do you think you're doing?!" Naruto's voice rang out through the current chaos. Percy turned briefly to see that he had twin, sleek, and not to mention cool bronze pistols on his hands, right behind the Furies and rolling on the ground from his impulsive action. The blond looked like he was about to shoot them in the head while the monsters were distracted by Grover and Annabeth.

Naruto gritted his teeth and aimed one of his handguns toward the Furies and pulled the trigger, the bronze bullet came sailing out of the chamber and whizzed past the aisle, hitting a Fury.

The Fury wailed in pain, a hole in its shoulder where the bullet passed through.

' _Need to work on my aim.'_ Naruto thought absently.

"Hey!" The driver yelled. "Hey-whoa!"  
Percy wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind them.

They shot out of Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rain, all the while people and monsters were tossed around the bus, and outside cars were plowed aside.

Somehow, the driver found an exit. Shooting off the highway through half a dozen traffic lights. They ended up flying down one of those New Jersey rural roads right across the river from New York. There were woods to their left, the Hudson River to their right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river.

Another great idea.

Percy hit the emergency brake.

The bus screeched, spinning into a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on.

The door flew open.

The bus driver was the first to get out, quickly followed by the other passengers after him. Yelling as they stampeded after the man.

The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans.

The wounded Fury went to strike Naruto for revenge, but the former Robin flipped back, the tip of his boot striking the Fury on the chin. Knocking the Fury back a bit. The monster screeched in rage and flew straight towards the son of Zeus and raised its whip, only for the masked blond to grab its arm. The Fury felt cold metal under its chin and howled, trying to escape. "Eat bullets!" Naruto roared and shot the Fury under its chin. The bullet escaping its head and reducing it to golden dust.

Percy looked at the open doorway. He was free to go, but he couldn't leave his friends. So the boy took off the cap and yelled, "Hey!"

The two remaining Furies turned, baring their rotten and yellow fangs at him, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea.

Naruto ran and stopped right in front of Percy, lightly crouching. The orange hatted one stalked up the aisle, occasionally flicking her whip, melting the row of seats.

The sister hopped on top of the left rows of seats and crawled towards him and Percy like a lizard, her arms and legs in awkward angles.

"Perseus Jackson, Naruto Uzumaki," Mrs. Dodds called in an accent. "You have offended the Gods." She hissed.

"You shall die."

"I liked you better as a math teacher." Percy told her.

"Fuck off, for all I care," Naruto glared at her with hate.

The monster growled at them.

Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.

Percy drew his ballpoint pen out of his pocket and uncapped it. Riptide appearing in his hands.

The Furies hesitated.

Mrs. Dodds had felt the celestial bronze sword before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.

"Submit, now." She hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," The son of Poseidon snorted as he got into a stance. Naruto tightened his grip on his pistols, lightning dancing around his form.

"Guys, look out!" Annabeth cried, Naruto grabbed Percy and forced him to duck along with him, the two dodging the Fury's whip.

Mrs. Dodds lunged at Percy, only for Naruto to change one of his firearms into the curved blades he used during Capture The Flag and sliced the whip clean through, a shockwave of lightning hitting the Fury, causing her to stumble back.

The one on the left lunged at the son of Poseidon, but he swung his blade. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust.

Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a hold and yanked her backwards while Grover managed to rip the remains of the whip out of her hands.

"Ow!" He yelled. "Hot! Hot! Really hot!"

The remaining Fury tried to get the daughter of Athena of her back. Kicking, clawing and hissing. But the girl held on while the Satyr tied Mrs. Dodds with her own whip. The two shoved her backwards into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have enough room to flap her bat wings, so she kept on falling down.

"Zeus will destroy you!" She shouted. "Hades will have your souls!" She said to the two children of the Big Three.

"Been dead, done that." Naruto retorted as he glared at the struggling Fury.

" _Braccas meas vescimini!"_ Percy yelled.

He wasn't sure where the Latin came from. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd said, but he thought it was something like: "Eat my pants!"

But judging by the dry look Percy just knew Naruto was sending him through his red helmet, he probably said something stupid.

Naruto shocked the monster with his lightning, knocking back the Fury who had finally clawed her way upright, while he changed his curved blade back into his pistol and holstered it.

Thunder shook the bus as the hair rose on the back of Percy's neck.

"Get out!" Annabeth yelled at them. "Now!"

They didn't need any encouragement; rushing outside, the four found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around circles yelling, "We're gonna die!"

"Holy shit!" One tourist shouted once they saw the masked Naruto.

"It's him! The Red Hood!"

The man exclaimed as he snapped the helmeted blond's photograph, while another tourist snapped Percy's who couldn't recap his sword.

Oh shit.

Naruto realized his mistake.

He was still a wanted criminal.

Before the whiskered blond could do anything, Grover's shout caught his attention. "Our bags! We left our-!"

BOOOOOM!

Lightning struck, and the windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater through the roof, and where the Fury last stood.

All that remained of Mrs. Dodds was a pile of golden dust.

Naruto looked up at the sky and silently thanked his sire for the bolt of lightning.

The sky rumbled, as if it heard the blond's thanks.

Naruto turned towards his group and motioned them to follow him, to which the three complied.

The four soon stopped at another street, where they could still see the aftermath of the explosion.

"What're we gonna do now?!" Grover frantically whispered, his panic spreading when he heard sirens.

Naruto stayed silent before walking towards a parked white and blue striped Shelby mustang.

And promptly shattered the driver's window

Annabeth, Grover, and Percy watched in shock as the helmeted blond silenced the muscle car and got into the vehicle and looked at them. His red helmet giving them no expression.

"What're you three waiting for? Get in the car!"

The three quickly entered, Annabeth calling shotgun, while Grover and Percy sat at the back.

It was quiet as the blond in the driver's seat hotwired the car.

Soon enough, the engine roared to life. And Naruto pressed the gas pedal and they were off.

"Where are we going?" Percy asked his cousin, breaking the silence.

"Easy, Gotham."

"GOTHAM?!" Annabeth, Grover and Percy echoed in shock.

"Gotham?! As in 'highest murders per capita' Gotham?!" Grover asked after the shock. "Naru, are you crazy?! That city's miles away."

Naruto grunted. "We're out of supplies, right? I have safe-houses in Gotham, we can re-stock there, and continue our quest." He told them.

"Safe-houses?! Since when did you get safe-houses?!" Percy asked.

"He's the Red Hood, seaweed brain, that name ring any bell?" Annabeth said.

"Red Hood…" Percy trailed off as he looked down. That was familiar, one of the passengers called Naruto that, right? "I heard about Red Hood before…" He muttered. Before widening his eyes.

"You're a criminal!" Percy realized, pointing a finger at the blond in front of him.

Naruto stayed silent.

"Percy's right, and after we go in one of your safe-houses, we will have a very long talk about your exploits, _Whiskers_." Annabeth said far too sweetly, her tone like honey.

Naruto paled, when he recognized that tone.

That's the tone Barbara usually used when she was mad.

Fuck.

"Y-Yes, Annie." He replied shakily.

"Wait a sec, if you're a criminal…" Grover started, "Does that mean _The_ Batman is gonna hunt us down?!" He yelled in a panic.

"Awesome." Percy muttered.

Hey, if he had a chance to meet Batman, then he'd take it.

"Grover's right, Whiskers, what if we do encounter him?" Annabeth asked worriedly.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he focused on the road.

"Let's hope it doesn't come down to that…"

* * *

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions, advice, etc. Anything really.**

 **See ya.**


	11. A Family Reunion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, DC, or PJO. Each franchise belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy, chapter 11 of,**

 **UNDER THE HOOD**

* * *

The car ride to Gotham was silent, the occupants of the muscle car minded their own business as the engines rumbled silently while the vehicle moved smoothly along the road heading towards the infamous city.

The ride itself was uneventful at least, the three demigods and one Satyr basked in the relative peace and quiet offered to them as long as they could. Gods knowing that these few moments would be scarce in the future of their journey.

Percy stared out the window quietly, his sea green eyes casually glancing in boredom at the passing trees and land while the Satyr beside him slept soundly with no care in the world, letting out a few snores as he did.

Annabeth silently looked down, mindlessly playing with her cap in the passenger seat. Her eyes sneaking glances at the whiskered blonde driving.

Speaking of the blonde himself, the pre-teen in the driver's seat was silent throught out the whole ride, his eyes focused on the road as he drove in a moderate speed.

He wished he could say the same about his conscience.

His mind was in a flurry of thoughts around the city they were driving to.

Mixed emotions, both that delved in nostalgia over the time, as short as it was, living in Gotham. Casually exploring the streets with Barbara, having fun in the day. and patrolling the city rooftops at night with Batgirl, and occasionally, Nightwing.

Even if Grayson was an asshole to him, the two knew that they needed to set their distaste for one another aside during patrol. Often replacing their heated arguments and insults with competitions of who would beat each thugs faster, or who could scale Wayne Tower without Bruce catching them.

It would often involve with the old man lecturing them about "Slacking off in patrol."

Then there were times were Naruto would just spend his free time lounging about in Wayne Manor, talking with Alfred, helping the butler in cleaning the many rooms of the Manor, washing the dishes, trimming the bushes and more.

Despite his rough up-bringing, and his mourning of Thalia. The butler supported him through those hard days and helped him cope with the loss of his now known sister.

Those were the days.

Yet, the memories of what happened to him with the clown, his death, Bruce's failure of saving him, and the stinging betrayal of being replaced by someone else no less than a year later gave a more than sour taste in his mouth.

The thought made him wonder, if his biological father, his godly parent would do the same to him.

Did Zeus actually care for him? Did he watch his son suffer all of the things that had been brought upon him with an impassive stare? Did Zeus even cared when Naruto was at Hades' door?

Did Zeus think of him merely as a trophy, something to be bragged upon and shown to others, rather than someone he had created with love (at least, Naruto hoped it was love) with his mother?

Naruto gripped the wheel tightly, but not enough to crush the piece of vehicle. Stepping on the gas pedal and accelerated, over-taking a vehicle as they entered a high-way.

The bridge slowly took into view, mile of cars were seen ahead, along with the city lights illuminated from behind the bridge separating the city from the main land of America.

The boy looked up at the statue that had greeted visitors and tourists alike. The statues chiseled on the building arch constructed on the bridge that had Gotham behind it just a few miles away.

Pioneer's Bridge.

The two statues stood tall, their stone faced eyes meeting each other from across their position in the arch that overlooked Gotham.

They shortly passed the first landmark of the city and entered the main islands of Gotham City.

Naruto rolled down his window and let his eyes roam freely, but not enough to not pay attention to the road ahead of him, to look around his former home in nostalgia and slight awe.

He chuckled softly, his electric blue eyes twinkling in small delight as he drove, the smell of the city, coupled with the usual smell of sewer and usual hustle and bustle of the grand central train station that was construed in the middle of the island, brought back memories that made the blonde smile.

"Miagani." Naruto muttered, "Still doesn't change, after all this time." He mused.

The car turned slightly and changed directions, heading towards the sea side of the island where the closed down Arkham Asylum could be seen from the island it was built on, looming mysteriously as it rotted from the years of neglect and nature taking over.

Even today, Naruto still didn't think of the Asylum too fondly, always remembering the various criminals of every kind locked up in the abandoned facility. Not to mention it also held a very curious past and mysterious secrets.

While he wasn't the most attentive learner out there, the many strategies, detective work, and criminal files he used to help Bruce with somehow still stuck with him to this day, and his inner detective was a bit eager to know what happened after the aftermath of the last break-out.

Maybe one day, he would-

"Is it true?"

Annabeth broke the other blonde's musings.

Naruto briefly glanced at her as he drove.

"Hm?"

The blonde girl sighed, and gazed at him with a look.

"Richmond, were you really there?"

The older teen stiffened at the question.

That only seemed to further the girl's suspicion, as she fully turned at faced her fellow blonde with a demanding gaze.

"Well?" Annabeth said impatiently.

"… No." Naruto answered after a moment of silence.

The look of betrayal the girl gave her only hurt him.

"You were lying to me?"

The expression on Annie's face tore him on the inside.

"It's not that Annabeth, it's-"

"What? One of your various escapades as 'Red Hood'?" Annabeth glared at him angrily, "While you played 'hero', and I use that term lightly," She finger quoted the word. "While you dealt with criminal and so called 'scum in Richmond." The girl listed off, much to Naruto's chagrin.

"What else did you do?" She demanded.

"Annabeth, please." Naruto pleaded. "Not now-"

"No!" She cut him off abruptly, anger flooding her voice.

From the back, Percy jerked in surprise at the sudden outburst and looked at the front with curious eyes..

"You will answer my question, Naruto Uzumaki, or so help me-!"

Grover woke with a start, and a snort.

"Wha? What happened?" He asked tiredly, yawning loudly, stopping Annabeth mid-sentence.

The Satyr looked out the window and widened his eyes in surprise when buildings met his gaze.

"Are we in Gotham already?"

The daughter of wisdom huffed, and turned back to the windshield with crossed arms, her face in an angry visage."To answer your first question, it's nothing Grover," She assured him.

"Naruto and I just… had a discussion." The girl spat Satyr looked at her in confusion, before switching his gaze to Percy, silently asking for an just shook his head, a sign of warning, his eyes discreetly pointing towards Annabeth and Naruto, who were both nodded with understanding. "For your second question, yes."

"Oh." Grover let out. The Satyr felt nervousness as he twiddled his thumbs in order to pass the time.

That, and to try to ease off the heavy atmosphere that had suddenly pressured them.

...

...

...

"So, the music's nice?" Grover said, trying to break the tension in the air.

Naruto's hand left the wheel and reached the radio, then proceeded to change the radio station, much to the Satyr's disappointment.

" _And now we give you, Gotham news!"_ The man said jovially like there was actual good news, despite from experience, Naruto knew it was anything but. _"With our reporter, Vicky Vale!"_

Another voice replaced the man's, a female, by the sound of it.

" _Thank you Bill."_ The Vicky said, _"In light of Arkham Asylum's closing, mayoral candidate, and former warden, Quincy Sharp, is rumored to have proposed to Gotham a new project for the recent moved out prisoners of the former Asylum, a new maximum prison, using the old Gotham area as housing for Arkham's former inmates-"_

As the reporter continued, Naruto moved his hand and turned the volume up as he drove.

The demigods, and Satyr listened in interest.

" _While there are no confirmed reports yet, Quincy Sharp had dubbed the new project, calling it 'Arkham City'-"_

"Oh, Of course something like these happens just as I come back…" Naruto muttered. "Just our luck."

"They're seriously building another mega prison for those guys?!" Grover exclaimed, shocked as the news continued.

"This is all just speculations, right?" Percy asked nervously. "I mean, they're not really serious about putting a bunch of prisoners in the middle of the city, right?" He asked no-one in particular.

"Right?" Percy repeated, looking at Naruto.

The older boy caught the son of Poseidon's gaze, and shrugged.

"Honestly, with all the shit Gotham's been through the past years, I won't be surprised if they would do it." The blonde said dismissively.

The statement only seemed to make the black haired boy all the more nervous as they turned another corner, passing by a rather large tower that held the name "WAYNE" on the center.

Percy and Grover stared in wonder at the various towers and buildings they passed, whereas Annabeth awed at the sight of Wayne Tower.

The former Robin passed a glance on the tower, and looked away, a slight pain evident in his eyes.

They shortly drove for another thirty minutes, passing by numerous buildings and high standing towers that occupied Gotham City.

Finally, Naruto turned to an alley and drove towards the dark, narrow path, parking the stolen vehicle in the alley way.

The son of Zeus switched the ignition and the vehicle turning off in an instant. Naruto opened the door and got out, shortly followed by his other companions.

The blonde approached a fire escape, grabbing the first step of the ladder, and pulled it down, climbing it, Annabeth, Percy, and Grover following suit.

"This way," The blonde gestured, opening a window, and climbed inside, shadowed by the darkness.

Percy looked at the Satyr, then Annabeth for a moment, before shrugging, and proceeded to enter the dark room.

Naruto looked around the darkness, scanning the room he was in, as his hand felt up the walls, before he finally felt his hand bump into the light switched and flicked it.

Lights shined into the room, revealing the contents of the area.

The blonde sighed in relief, happy to see that nothing was stolen or touched while he was gone.

Moving his hands to the underside of his helmet, he pushed it up, freeing his spikey hair from its prison as he placed the helmet on the side of his hip.

"Hello bed." Naruto greeted softly as he walked towards a nearby table.

The son of Zeus set his 'hood' down beside an unloaded pistol. "Hello table."

He softly fell down the single bed and sighed in content as Percy and Annabeth, who was helping Grover fit through the window, came inside the room.

His eyes switched to a vase filled with flowers that were now wilted, beside his bed.

"Hello flowers."

The daughter of Athena looked at her fellow blonde with a raised eyebrow.

"You do know that talking to inanimate objects is a sign of insanity, right?"

Naruto rolled in his bed.

"Tell me something I don't know." He replied.

Meanwhile, Percy stared, awed at the collection of weapons, ranging from various firearms to melee weapons, which all hung from one wall. Grover gave out nervous bleats at the sight of so many guns.

The demigod rolled back and forth, until he noticed a tear on his jacket, which were just one of the many he had gotten from the last skirmish he had with the monsters they encountered.

Sighing, the blonde stood up from his bed, and approached a closet, opening it, revealing various jackets and armor.

Naruto removed his jacket, before he grabbed the zipper of his jumpsuit, and pulled it down.

He was in the middle of pulling his arms out of the jumpsuit, before he realized that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover were still in the room.

He craned his head to the three occupants.

Annabeth was red in the face as she stared at the back of the son of Zeus, her mind going into haywire as her eyes twitched erratically.

Percy sulked at how developed the older boy was.

He was just a year older!

How!?

"You guys can wait in the living room," Naruto said after a moment of awkward silence.

Percy and Grover slowly walked towards the door, opening it, and stepped out without making a noise.

"…Uh, Annie?" Naruto said when the girl didn't follow the others.

Annabeth stayed silent as her blush died down, her look replaced by concerned expression.

Despite how the other blonde had grown, the girl noticed the numerous scars that littered the son of Zeus' back.

Slowly, she approached the boy.

She raised a hand up, and traced a particular scar that went from his shoulder, to the middle of his spine.

"Where did you get these?" The daughter of Wisdom asked softly.

"I don't know, a fight here, a fight there, maybe a few monsters did this one?" The demigod joked airily, pointing at one scar on his arm at the last mention.

"Naruto Uzumaki…" Annabeth started.

Before she started hit him.

"Can. You. At. Least take this seriously?!" She shouted her anger at him as her fists pounded against his back repeatedly.

The hits really didn't hurt. He felt worse, _way_ worse.

Finally, she stopped, catching her breath as Naruto turned around.

"Annie…" The blonde looked down.

"..." Annabeth didn't answer, her shoulders rising and falling with every breath she took, her fists clenched tightly that it might draw out blood.

The whiskered blonde flinched slightly, before he put a hand on her shoulder, his eyes showing the same amount of pain and anger as she did.

Anger towards him.

"...Do you know, how long I mourned over you and Thalia?" She suddenly muttered. Her neck craning up, showing the fresh tears that glistened on her face.

"Did you know how long Luke and I tried to live our lives... knowing that we could have fully prevented your deaths?"

Naruto looked away.

"And yet." She chuckled hollowly, "When I find out you're alive, what happens?" The girl asked him in a rhetorical manner.

"…You became a killer."

The boy flinched at the accusation-no, fact.

The daughter of Wisdom closed her eyes and turned away from the older teen. Her hand finding their way to the sides of her arms as she tried to restrain the amount of pain showing right now.

"...Do you think Thalia would be proud of what you had become? What her little brother had become?" Annabeth asked him.

"I..." Naruto tried to speak, but his words died down. He looked down towards his hands.

Hands, once smooth and innocent. Now filled with scars and callouses, already drenched in blood more than once, already laying hands on a man's neck tightly more than once.

His eye switched to Annabeth, and for a split second-

Thalia appeared.

He could still remember her appearance as clear as day, and as she looked at him with disgusted eyes, he had fully realized the consequences of what Talia and Ra's influence had on him.

And just like that, she was gone.

"Dear gods..." Naruto muttered, horrified.

What happened to him?

He felt her hand grasped his arm.

"Please." Annabeth's voice didn't sound like she normally would. She didn't sound strong, she didn't sound determined.

She sounded broken.

"Don't do this. Not you. I don't want to lose you too." She begged, pleaded.

The daughter of Athena looked up when she felt Naruto's hand grasp her own.

"… I won't kill, Annie." Naruto stated. "For you."

She went silent for a moment, before she looked up at him once more, her eyes directly meeting his.

"...Promise me." The girl softly demanded.

"...It's a promise of a life time."

* * *

After a short while, the door opened, and Annabeth walked towards the couch, where Percy sat at, channel surfing at the TV, whilst Grover raided Naruto's kitchen cabinets for food.

"Seriously, is there anything the guy eats other than ramen?" The Satyr complained, holding a pack of instant noodles with him.

The daughter of Athena let a small smile slip into her face, happy that some remnants of the old Naruto still lingered. She moved and sat on a chair that stood by the kitchen table.

"Cause it saves me from going out, and possibly reveal myself to Batman."

The bedroom door opened, and revealed Naruto.

He was dressed differently this time.

Replacing his helmet, was a faceless version of his previous 'hood', now supporting contours the went narrow on the middle of his helmet, which now looked transparent, yet just red enough to mask his face. Grey machinery were set at the edges and sides of the mask, used for sliding the front piece of his new 'hood'.

His brown jacket was gone, in its place was a white and black leather jacket, akin to that of a motorcyclist, while an actual red hood was up, covering the top of his head. A gray shirt was underneath the jacket, padded with body armor as his symbol was painted in the middle of his chest. The gauntlets his sire gave him strapped on his wrists.

His jumpsuit pants, were replaced by gray ones, which were secured by a belt that had pouches with various smoke bombs, and his grappling hook. On the sides of his thighs, were straps that were connected to small pouches, which held his kunai and shuriken. While his boots were covered with armor. **(1)**

On the other pouches, were twin dual pistols, a weapon he would use should he be ever be attacked by mortals.

And considering they were in Gotham, it was bound to happen.

He tapped the side of his helmet, which slid up, revealing his whiskered face.

"Ready to go?"

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover nodded.

* * *

"No matter how many times this happens, I'll never get used to having repeated migraines..."

Tim sighed and ran a hand over his hair as he sat at one of the many couches that were in Wayne Manor, a place, that even if he had seen, lived, and memorized, was still a huge, and honestly, a bit puzzling to go through every now and then.

He groaned as he felt another headache coming. Grunting, the young teen adjusted the ice-pack he held at his temple, which numbed the bruising a bit.

Bruce, Dick, Barb, along with Steph, and Cass were already in the Cave, doing all they could to scour to find any information or tidbit they could find about their elusive brother.

A few hours ago, a picture surfaced through the net, showing the former Robin himself near New York, which was miles away from Gotham.

And that only meant one thing.

The Red Hood was back.

After months of inactivity, he had re-surfaced, and his mentor and companions were out to find him.

As for Tim? Well…

"Then I advise you be more careful out there, Master Timothy." Alfred said as he entered the room, handing down a tray of tea for the young teen to drink on the nearby table.

"It's just a slight bruise, Alfred." Tim grumbled sourly, wincing a bit as his head throbbed in pain once more.

"Any injury is still an injury, Master Timothy." The butler refuted. "Just be glad that it is not anything serious."

"Yeah, yeah…" The Boy Wonder muttered.

He slumped on couch in boredom, his eyes gazing up to the portrait of his mentor's parents hung on the wall, the fireplace dimly lighting the room he was in.

Until his eyes caught a sheet of cloth hiding an object at the corner of the room. If it weren't for the piece of cloth standing out, just able for the light to touch the material, the boy wouldn't have noticed.

The boy stood up, despite the headache he had, and walked towards the object.

Gently, he grabbed the sheet of cloth.

And removed it, revealing a portrait of a girl that he was unfamiliar of.

She was a girl his age. Her eyes were one of the first things he noticed, which were electric blue, a color that was scarily familiar to his predecessor's own eyes. Her short and slightly spiky hair was raven black, just like his own, while her pale complexion, along with the freckles dotted on her face, were a contradiction.

Behind him, Alfred's smile dimmed as he approached the young Robin, placing the tray of antibiotics and medicinal equipment down on the table.

"Ah, it seems you've discovered Miss Grace." Alfred said, causing Tim to turn around.

"Who?"

"Miss Thalia Grace." Alfred clarified as he ushered the young boy to the side, "I have been meaning to put this up again." He said, grabbing the portrait, the elderly man hefted it up.

He carefully cleaned it, making sure to wipe any dust that clung to the portrait.

Soon, he stood up, and set the portrait up on the empty wall at the room.

Tim gazed at the now clean painting in curiosity.

"…Who was she?"

"An important person, to Master Naruto." Alfred answered, smiling fondly at the painting, though, there was a hint of pain hidden in the smile.

"Oh." Was all he uttered.

The subject of the former Robin was still sore to the elder butler, even to the others, so Tim didn't bother to delve further.

He obviously didn't know how hard Naruto impacted their lives, considering that he didn't know the second Robin aside from being the guy who beat the shit out of him in the Titans Tower no less, but he knew that his brother was still important to the lives of his mentor and companions.

All he wanted to was answers from his predecessor/

A knock at the door was heard, prompting Tim to turn around.

"Tim." A voice called out.

From the open door way, was Stephanie, fully dressed in her gear, her mask off, showing her blonde locks, her face filled with urgency.

"Steph?"

"Suit up, we need you at the Cave."

* * *

As Tim entered via the steps into the Batcave, he watched the others in mild curiosity as he approached the table holding his gadgets.

Bruce was pacing around the Cave. Distressed, it was a bit of a surprise to see his mentor like that, in rare moments did Tim see Bruce in this state, much of which lately had been centered around the former Robin they were currently hunting down.

Add to the recent closing of Arkham Asylum, and the rumors of opening of Arkham City, a project Burce actively protests as his Day life alter ego. His mentor's days were now filled with nothing but meetings, and meetings after meetings.

The stress was all piling up on the Dark Knight.

Barbara was at the computer, typing away as usual. Though the same urgency and stress seen in Bruce also presently seen on her face and demeanor.

Even Dick, as laid back and relaxed as he was normally. The time of relaxation was gone out of the window, and was in his gear, pouring over various case files as Cassandra trained in the sparring ring alone.

"What's happening?" The Third Robin asked, putting on his mask and clipping his belt.

"We have a lead on the Red Hood." Barbara answered, her eyes focusing on the computer.

"He's back in Gotham?!" Tim asked, alarmed.

"Yes." Bruce nodded, slipping on his cowl. "He's been spotted in the city."

The Batman adjusted some of his equipment, before heading on to the Batmobile, mentioning Tim to follow him.

"We're going after him."

* * *

As Grover and Percy got out the safe-house via window, the two stood aside while Naruto and Annabeth followed shortly after them.

The boy motioned them to follow him as he climbed the higher ladder, leading to the rooftops above.

"Let's get a move on."

"This quick?" Percy stopped briefly, and turned his head to face the boy, glaring at him from behind his helmet.

"If you want the Bat to get us, be my guest."

That shut him up quickly.

The blonde quickly scaled the wall, reaching the rooftops after a few moments. Letting down his hand, he helped his quest companions up, hefting them with one hand.

The sky child dashed towards an entrance to the rooftop, hiding behind the darkness, and gestured the other three to follow what he did."Stick to the shadows." He instructed them. "It'll help you hide better."

With that, the blonde quickly ran and slid towards a steel pipe that ran across the edges of the building.

Annabeth followed, used to the motions her fellow blonde did, living in the streets, while hiding from monsters in a young age helped her in that regard.

Percy managed to crouch as he went beside the daughter of Wisdom, trying his best not to move as his cousin surveyed the next rooftop. Grover, however, was not as silent, his eyes darting from every corner in a frantic manner.

Slowly putting a furry hand over his mouth, the Satyr did his best to stop his bleats from coming out. Naruto stood up after a moment, nodding at them, before he ran towards the edge of the rooftop. Sliding to a stop, he leapt down into the walls of the building and into the alleyway below, his helmet illuminating from the dark.

He looked up, seeing Annabeth putting her head out from the edge of the rooftop he previously occupied.

Putting his arms out, he motioned the girl to jump. Noticing the hesitancy on her face, the blonde frowned, his lips tugging from behind his helmet.

"I'll catch you!" He shouted.

Annabeth still looked hesitant, before she begrudgingly took a step back, inhaling, and exhaling as she did, ignoring Grover and Percy's looks. With one goal in mind, she ran towards the edge.

And jumped.

The girl gave out a yell as she fell from the building, closing her eyes as she tried to calm down, which she was failing at.

Until she landed into the son of Zeus' arms.

"You okay, Annie?"

She flushed brightly, turning her head, she muttered. "I'm okay." Getting off the blonde, she made sure to turn around, careful not to make him see her red cheeks.

As Naruto caught Percy, who did his best not to scream, Annabeth felt something off in the air, her eyes scanning the alleyway.

She didn't know why, but she felt like they were being…

"… Watched." She muttered. Her thoughts were interrupted, when Grover let out a huge bleat as he fell, Naruto catching him a moment after.

"You okay, Groves?" The helmeted demigod asked his hand patting the Satyr on the back.

"I'll be fine in a minute." Grover replied breathlessly, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Whiskers." Annabeth caught Naruto's attention as she tapped his shoulder, prompting the blonde to look at the daughter of Athena.

The girl looked nervous, suspicious even, her gray eyes scanning the alleyway they were in frantically. On the side note, the grip on his arm grew tighter.

"Is everything okay?" She heard her fellow blonde ask.

Just as she was about to answer, her eyes caught a glimpse of shattered glass in the alleyway.

It reflected, showing a shadowed figure up on the rooftop behind them.

Her breathing hitched.

Her grip on the other blonde's arm tightened to the point of uncomfort.

"Annie-"

"Not now, look." She whispered, her mind panicking as she subtlety pointed at the shards of glass that showed their stalker.

"Shit." Naruto cursed at the new development.

Just his luck!

"What're we gonna do?!" Grover frantically whispered as Percy joined in, looking just as alarmed as the goat-boy.

"Stay calm." Naruto advised, "They're gonna know that we spotted them if we start to freak out, so stay. Calm."

"Calm, yeah, I can do calm." Grover inhaled and exhaled as his hands shook from nervousness. "J-Just, have to stay c-calm." He stuttered.

"Here's what I need you guys to do." The son of Zeus started. "First off. We're going to split up. I sure as hell know that the Bat has his sidekicks with him, so, if we separate, it'll be a longer time before they round as up."

"Whiskers… are you sure about this?" Annabeth asked with uncertainty, her mind trying to come up with other strategies, as she did.

But it all ended to moot.

All of the plans she came up with heavily relied on the surroundings they were in.

Which was a problem.

She didn't know absolutely jack, about Gotham's layout, much less the part of the city they were in.

So she needed to rely on the one person that had been to Gotham.

"It's the best thing I've come up with." Naruto stated.

' _That, and it's the only one that doesn't involve me blasting a new hole into whoever is stalking us with my gun.'_

"Stick together when I tell you guys to run. It doesn't matter where you go, just get the hell out of this area. Okay?"

The two demigods, and Satyr nodded.

Naruto sighed deeply.

His hands slowly reached up to the many pouches of his belt, discreetly taking a shuriken.

The blonde gripped it tightly, almost to the point that he could feel the sharpness, even with his gloves on.

He inhaled.

Memories of The League, All-caste, and their trainings flashed into his mind.

He let the shuriken fall for a millisecond, catching it at its last tip. Lightening dancing at his fingertips.

Before he threw it.

"Run!"

The three bolted, as Naruto immediately turned heel, facing the wall behind him, and moved his head to look up.

And just as he expected, a shadowy figure stood tall from the rooftop of the building.

Quickly grabbing his grapple, the blonde watch it go up, and cling to the edge of the roof. Pulling the trigger, he shot up from his position, and onto the rooftop, facing his stalker.

"Well, well, well." Naruto started, his deepening his voice as he did, staring at the figure in front of him.

"If it ain't the Replacement himself."

Deep inside him, an emotion swelled up, the feeling of anger directed towards the boy in front of him.

Robin growled as he went into a fighting stance.

From the side, his earpiece rung out.

" _Distract him while Bruce and Stephanie get the other targets!"_ Oracle ordered.

Tim nodded. "Got it." He muttered silently, then looked back at his opponent, his white lenses narrowing.

"Red Hood!" The Boy Wonder shouted, "You're not going anywhere!"

"That's where I decide, kid." He replied, taking out a kunai.

"Now, why don't you go back to the Bat, before I get feisty?"

The masked boy's response was a birdarang heading towards him.

Thanks to his enhanced senses, Naruto was able to dodge, and block the incoming projectile, sending it to the ground.

Tim charged at his predecessor with a roar. Sending an upwards kick to the masked blonde. Naruto leaned backwards with a laugh, taunting the caped pre-teen as he ducked and sent a punch to the boy's ribs.

He heard the younger boy grunt, which made Naruto smirk. Twisting himself, the blonde went behind Robin and aimed a kick to the boy's face. Robin ducked under the attack only for the blonde's other leg to strike his face.

"Rookie mistake, Replacement." Naruto laughed.

Tim growled and grabbed his staff. Extending it, the black haired boy charged once more and swung his metal staff to the blonde's side.

Naruto however, expected this, and used his kunai to block the incoming weapon.

The two stood as they battled for dominance. Tim gritting his teeth as he tried exert more effort, pushing the staff with all his might.

The Red Hood grunted, and flipped over the metal weapon, watching Robin tumble over at the unexpected move.

Bringing out his shurikens, Naruto quickly threw it at the boy, smirking when it one of his projectiles grazed Robin's arm, while the other made a hole in his cape.

"Too slow, Boy Wonder!" The older teen jeered.

A huge puff of smoke engulfed the area as Naruto landed.

"Trying to hide?" The son of Zeus chuckled.

Under his helmet, his thermal vision activated and the figure of Robin appeared within the confines of the smoke.

"Ain't gonna work."

He turned around and grabbed the foot that aimed for his face.

A beep was heard, and Naruto looked down.

Only to see a device shaped like a bat attached to his chest.

Before he could even curse, a mini-explosion engulfed the area, removing the previous smoke.

Tim landed, his cape shrouding him as he did.

A grapple was shot, and a claw grabbed onto his chest.

Tim looked down.

It was too late.

The moment he looked up, an armored boot met the young Robin's face, sending him crashing to the ground, stopping at the edge of the rooftop.

"You got new tricks." Red Hood's robotic voice rung out.

Out of the smoke, he approached him, flipping a kunai.

"I do too."

"You're not the only one!"

A new voice rang out, and Naruto turned his head at the direction of the sound.

Only to see stars when a black boot kicked him away from Robin.

He grunted as he skidded towards the ground, catching himself momentarily after.

"This ends now. Hood."

Naruto stood up, and glared at the masked teen in front of him.

"Shouldn't you be back in Bludhaven, Dickybird?" Naruto mocked as he stood up.

Nightwing frowned at the former Robin, staying silent as he helped Tim up.

The helmeted teen chuckled as he nursed his stomach while he stood up. The emotionless and blank mask that somehow unnerved Tim more than the snarling whiskered visage that had faced him in Titans tower.

"What's the matter, out of jokes?" The Red Hood asked, readying another kunai.

"I don't joke when it comes to family, Naruto."

The Red Hood scoffed, dusting his jacket as did so, and cracked his neck. "Oh, so we're in a first name basis now?"

Quickly, he threw flash grenades towards the unsuspecting vigilantes.

All the two heroes could her was ringing in their ears. Dick growled as he tried to balance himself, all the while trying to find Robin while he silently reprimanded himself of falling for such a cheap trap.

The teen grunted, when he felt a fist plant in his gut. Which was quickly followed by a kick to the legs sending him down.

"Cause as far as I can remember, we were never like that!"

The blonde kneed the older teen in the ribs, as straddled him.

Dick felt cold steel on his throat.

"Nightwing!"

Before Naruto could do anything, a roar from his successor briefly distracted him, only for Robin to tackle him to the ground, making him drop his kunai.

"Why you little shit!"

The blonde snarled and planted both of his feet on the boy's chest. With force, he pushed, and kicked Robin away.

Naruto immediately got up, and ducked from a flying kick that was aimed for him by Nightwing.

He blocked a punch that the older teen sent his way, before grabbing his arm.

Dick screamed in shock when a force akin to almost lightning struck his body.

The blonde landed a final punch to the black haired teen's face.

From the side, Tim grunted, and nursed his arm, standing up, he tried to make way to the first Robin's form.

" _Tim, we have the targets, get out there, now! Let Bruce handle him!"_

"Little busy here." The boy responded as he moved his hand to get something from his utility belt.

Robin gave a shout of pain when a shuriken embedded itself on his arm. Quickly flinging the sharpened projectile away, the boy grabbed his injured hand with gritted teeth.

"Don't think you're going anywhere." Tim heard the older boy chuckle as he approached him. Dick was in too much in pain to move.

Despite all of the things he'd been through, Tim smirked, the metallic taste of blood smearing his lips, but that didn't dissuade him.

Naruto stopped for a moment, tilting his head at the smirk.

Until it clicked.

' _Shit! The others!_ _'_

Turning heel, the blonde sprinted towards the end of the rooftop and grappled out away in a hurry.

Tim activated his earpiece.

" _This is Robin, Hood is on the move, I repeat. Hood is on the move."_

A buzz was heard.

" _Got it, go after him, Bruce will trace your coordinates."_

" _What about Batgirl?"_

" _She's keeping the other targets busy."_

As Oracle signed off, Robin rushed to Nightwing's side, and hefted him up, helping him get on his feet.

Dick groaned in pain as he held his side. "He's gotten stronger."

Tim nodded in agreement.

"Oracle told me to go after him, Batman will trace his location from there."

Nightwing rolled his shoulders as he watched the Red Hood jump from rooftop to rooftop.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's get a move on!"

* * *

Naruto panted as he ran from rooftop to rooftop, the sounds of other rushing footsteps from behind him only settled him to quicken his steps.

He had to save them.

He _needs_ to save them.

The son of Zeus slid off another rooftop, landing down in the alley below, his boots impacting a small puddle as he did. Ignoring that, the sky child continued to run as Nightwing and Robin were on his tail.

But he was relentless.

He dived, and flipped past in coming cars, shoving through people in his pursuit to save his quest companions.

Quickly, the blonde turned another corner, entering yet another alleyway. Rushing to the fence at the end, the sounds of people coming after him helped quicken his pace as he jumped off the wall, and onto the other side.

Fiddling with his belt, Naruto took out his grappling gun, and shot to the skies once more.

He landed on a gargoyle, then proceeded to jump from gargoyle to gargoyle, nearly missing and tumbling in one mistake when he did.

Naruto twisted his body, and flipped in the air, landing on a rooftop.

He grabbed his knees, catching his breath.

Before the sounds of soft, and light footsteps hit his ears.

"Whoever you are, you better go away before I fuck you up." The Red Hood threatened darkly as he turned his head to look at his would-be-opponent.

She was small, up to Annabeth's height, and possibly the same build as her. Black was the main color of her outfit, while yellow trimming was the secondary color.

The ever famous bat symbol was displayed on her chest with bright yellow, similar to her utility belt. Whilst her cowl's mouth piece looked sewed shut, and the eye lenses were general black.

"And who in Hades are you?" The pre-teen asked rudely.

Behind her mask, Cassandra's eyes softened.

Even now, he still used the same curses as before.

Slowly, she brought a hand to the edge of her mask.

And peeled off her cowl, revealing her face to the boy.

"Ca… Cassie?"

She watched, as his body language changed in an instant, one of happiness and familiarity.

The boy grabbed his hood, and pulled it down, revealing the faceless red helmet. He tapped the sides, and the front piece slid up, revealing the boy's whiskered face.

Cassandra noted that the boy had changed in appearance, his baby fat was gone, replaced with a not fully rounded, but not entirely squared jaw line. While parts of his spikey hair grew, twin bangs framed the sides of his face that stuck out of the helmet.

"Is that… you?"

Cassandra nodded softly.

She took one step closer to him, only for Naruto to step back.

Her sharp eyes caught his hand reach the holster of his gun in instinct, as his other hand went to the pouches of his legs.

It seemed even as he grew, his paranoia grew with him.

The girl took another step.

"Not going to hurt you." She said softly.

She watched his surprise expression, giggling in the inside at how baffled he was that she could talk a bit easier now.

His expression changed to an untrusting one.

"Who says you won't?" The blonde retorted.

Before she could talk further, a shadowy figure glided down from behind the criminal.

Naruto turned his head when sudden darkness blanketed him.

Lo and behold, it was the Batman himself.

The previous adrenaline kicked in, as his blood rushed. The feeling of hate, anger, and fury came back as one, all in a whirlpool of emotion that made him just want to strike the man in front of him.

He snarled, and ran towards him with a roar

But Cassandra was quicker, dashing towards him in a second before she wrapped her arms around him, holding him back.

"Let me go, Cassie." Naruto silently muttered, his teeth gritting as he did. "He needs to pay."

"Don't." The girl pleaded with him.

From behind her, she felt Dick and Tim land at the rooftop they stood on.

"Naruto…" Bruce muttered softly, his eyes landing on his wayward son.

The kid had obviously grown, he could tell just by his face.

A feeling inside the Dark Knight swell.

Bruce could see it.

His son, all grown up, ready to face the world and its challenges, to face whatever it would throw at him.

And he would never be there for him.

It hurt, it hurt Bruce. To know that Naruto was growing up, and he wasn't part of it.

"Don't you dare say my name…" The boy snarled in fury, his anger taking over any rational thought as Cassandra did her best to hold him back.

A tug on his arm brought the blonde's attention to the girl holding him.

Cassandra looked up to the boy with pleading eyes, begging him to stop, lest he do anything else reckless.

"Won't affect anything if you hurt him." She tried to reason with the teen, "Will only leave you empty in the end."

Naruto looked down, as another figure landed in the background.

His eyes glanced at the newcomer.

She was also young, maybe Percy's age from the face. Her suit was that of Barbara's, only the color was purple and black.

However, that didn't caught his attention.

What caught his attention, were the three unconscious Annabeth, Percy and Grover laying on the ground.

The blonde immediately tried to run to them, only for Cassandra to tighten her grip on him. He struggled to get out of the grip, shifting and moving in a desperate manner to save his quest companions.

"They're not hurt." The new Batgirl assured him.

The son of Zeus didn't believe that for a second.

Naruto directed his eyes to the Dark Knight, his electric blue orbs almost crackling in fury as he glared daggers at his former mentor.

"Please…" He heard Cassandra speak.

"Don't." The girl hugged him tighter. "Just want to talk."

He wanted to lash out at her but he couldn't. He couldn't yell at her or tell her to go to hell.

He had wanted someone to tell him they were glad he was back.

Naruto gazed at the ground, before he sighed deeply.

"Fine." He started, surprising the Bats.

"If it means to let them go, let's talk."

* * *

 **(1)~ Arkhamverse Red Hood DLC design.**

 **Review! Constructive criticism is also good, give suggestions, advice, etc. Anything really.**

 **See ya.**


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